12541/The Enemy Of My Enemy

The Enemy Of My Enemy
Date of Scene:	09 December 2020
Location:	Jean's Office - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Magneto comes knocking about The Cure. As expected, beliefs differ about how to move forward.
Cast of Characters:	Magneto, Phoenix, Cyclops, Wolverine
Tinyplot:	Mutant Cure

---

Magneto has posed:
    The snow is falling outside as Christmas approaches the Mansion. It is midmorning, but the temperature has not climbed much even as the sun peeks through the snow clouds. It is quiet as the snow falls giving a hushed feel to the outdoors.

    It is into this that there is a crackle of static electrcity as Magneto descends out of the sky. He is surrounded by a barely visible field of energy that crackles with the snow hitting it on the descent. He is dressed in a smart business suit, silver gray in color, and a long overcoat and gloves. He wears a well kept fedora on his head.

    As he lands on the front steps of the Mansion, the field falls away from around him and the door knobs move on their own. The front doors swing open and he strides into the Mansion as if he owned it.

Phoenix has posed:
The mansion has a vast array of security measures - standard, advanced, and mutant. All of them go off like a warzone was dropping on their roof.

Jean is in her office doing her usual array of paperwork when the alarms sound physically and mentally. Her computers flare to life with the various camera feeds and warnings and there's a sigh who's volume rivals the alarms.

<< Well, it took him a few days longer than I expected. He's not dressed for war at least. Alone. >> Jean quickly feeds to Scott telepathically. She taps in a few commands to quiet the alarms and send word to teachers that there's no reason to panic, but to keep the students in their classes all the same until otherwise cleared.

She's getting out of her chair and stepping out of her office as the front doors open, dressed in her own black pants suit with a shirt underneath in the school's gold. She also looks pretty well agitated. "*Visitors* tend to call ahead, Erik. You're lucky we didn't start shooting first."

Cyclops has posed:
<< He doesn't need to be dressed for war. He could flatten this school with a wave of a hand in a pair of swim trunks if he wanted. >>

Scott Summers glances upwards from his tablet that he was holding to go over some 'paperwork' as he heads down one of the halls and into the main entry point. As he steps in line with Jean, he tilts his head upwards to stare at Erik from behind his ruby wrap-arounds.

"Good morning, Erik." He says as he raises a mug up to take a sip from it, giving a glance to the various eyes of students that peek around corners and from up the stairs. There is already the murmuring of whispers of concern and excitement, followed by a few flashes of camera phones. Magneto is a celebrity. Either he's 'right' or he's 'wrong', but his history is just as engrained in Xavier's as Charles is.

With a clear of his throat, he gives a glance towards the curious face, then jerks his head upwards, causing them to scatter like ants, though the whispers remain.

Magneto has posed:
    "You are certainly more than welcome to try, Ms. Grey," Erik says in a clipped tone that still holds the remains of a foreign accent. He turns his attention to Scott and nods in return the raised mug. "Good morning, Mr. Summers." He extends his arms slightly and his coat, obviously laced with metallic fibers, slips off his shoulders and finds its way to a hook near the door. "Now that the pleasentries have been acknowledged, I would like to know why you did not inform me immediately when you discovered a 'cure' was being developed by the humans." His voice never changes volume. He is calm in appearance, but there is a tone of anger in the last sentence.

Phoenix has posed:
"I'd have thought you would have been following the grand exploits of Metaforce more closely." Jean says with a gesture of her hand towards her office. Not that of Charles, whom there seems to be no signs of. She doesn't wait for there to be any agreement on the matter before turning to lead the way through the staff meeting room and to her office.

"We don't like the idea of a 'cure' anymore than you do, but we respect that mutants have as much right to free will and choice as anyone. That doesn't mean we don't expect someone will weaponize it, which is why we've been following this as close as we have to find a solution without giving them even more reason to want to eliminate us. Barreling down their down with guns blazing wouldn't accomplish that."

Cyclops has posed:
"You really have to ask that question outloud? Why would we? You're not an X-Man and you're prone to causing public spectacles of yourself that only makes our job harder in maintaining some type of peace between humans and mutants."

Scott enters the office, sipping his coffee before he swings himself into a seat, turning to face Magneto. "We had our team watching the protests to see if Metaforce would attack the labs and cause a riot. They utilized young children and teens that were brainwashed to their cause to create a distraction outside, while they teleported inside to attack the scientists."

There's another long sip from the mug. "We were able to capture the entire Metaforce team as well as gain samples of this 'cure' for Henry to examine, which he is currently working on to see if he can reverse engineer it. If they can take away a mutation, maybe we can restore it."

Magneto has posed:
    "Metaforce are children throwing a fit," Erik dismisses as he follows into Jean's office. "There are others that will deal with them as you did. But a cure," he shakes his head. "We both know that while the research is being done at some 'independent' lab," he says the word independent with a tone of skeptism, "in reality, it is government and military funded. It is how things are done in this country. It is not a matter of 'if' a cure will be weaponized, it is a fact that it is the primary goal all along."

    Erik turns to look at Scott at mentioning the capture of the cure. "I would ask for a portion of this cure then so that my scientists on Genosha can also independently research it. Not that I do not trust Dr. McCoy, but I would prefer to have two seperate perspectives on this cure." He moves to settle down into a chair facing the two of them. "And, of course, the lab will be destroyed. I will give them a warning to get personel out, but people only."

Phoenix has posed:
"Because you just expect that they'll be reasonable when an internationally marked terrorist tells them to clock out and leave or die?" Jean asks while she turns on an electric kettle before sitting at her desk while it heats.

"Considering that this cure came out of nowhere and none of us heard about missing mutants, I'd wager it hasn't been in development very long and this is more of a testing scenario than a finished product. But, I'm no bio-chemist."

"Point is, if someone's government and military is involved, if we all go in there guns blazing then we're going to give them exactly the ammo that they need - more allies, more funding, everything."

Cyclops has posed:
"Exactly. The last thing we need is to give more attention to mutant hating crazies who want to wipe us out. Metaforce has been targetting hate groups up until they took a poke at the lab." Scott says as he peeks down into his empty coffee mug, then slides it to the side.

"We are going to interrogate Metaforce to see what we can get out of them. If you want one of your Genoshan scientists to look at the samples, you're more than welcome to bring him or her here to work side by side with Henry. I don't feel 'comfortable' letting this cure leave the country."

That's how you get ants after all.

"Henry will be more than happy to share his lab and bounce ideas off with someone that can keep up with his level of intellect."

Magneto has posed:
    "You live in the same fantasy world that Charles always has," Erik says to the both of them. "There is no 'if'. Governments and Militaries are involved. They already well funded. They have allies. You may want to wait until you are struck before turning the other cheek, but I fail to see why we should stand there and be punched when we know it is coming." Erik steeples his fingers as he sits and listens. "Having the sample in a completely different lab, as well as different scientists, is how we avoid preconceived notions and tunnel vision on research. I can have a lab set up at the Genoshian embassy so that it does not leave the country, but it cannot simply be my scientists working alongside Dr. McCoy. As for Metaforce, you are do as you see fit, but I would ask for the sharing of anything relevant information."

Phoenix has posed:
"Because it's better that they punch someone who can take the hit, versus turning their attention to those who can't." Jean remarks as steam begins to rise from the kettle beside her. "Metaforce already escalated this. If the rest of us go in blowing up their facilities en masse, then they'll come for all of us - from the X-Men to the streets. Genosha may have the luxury of some distance, but we don't. They were right here in our backyard. We can't afford to start a war until we have the information we need to defend against it."

She restlessly crosses her arms across her chest as she frowns. "So if you want to help, then we work on this together. Our best minds and your best minds, but together where they can communicate without needing outside channels that others may listen in on."

Cyclops has posed:
<< That and to ensure he won't use it himself on his competition, such as us, or .. who knows.. Sinister. This is why I always was glad Charles would handle him. I don't play chess. >>

Scott glances to Jean with that subtle pass of information through their minds. He drums his fingers on the sides of his coffee cup before he gives another glance towards Erik. He nods his head along with Jean's words.

"Yes, we work on it together. Here. It's a take or leave it kind of deal. We only have so much of the sample that Henry was able to obtain."

He reclines in the seat, shifting his jaw to the side in thought before he slides his phone out of his pocket to send a message to the fuzzy blue scientist.

Magneto has posed:
    "And how do we assure that they will punch those that can take the hit?" Erik raises an eyebrow. "Those that can make themselves the target. The authorities are already coming for us. If we don't focus them, they will come after all of us. I hit hard. They come after me." He shakes his head. "The war is already here. You should respond like you know that." His attention focuses more on Scott now. "If this is a take it or leave it, I will simply go to the source. I will take some of their scientists when I go to destroy the lab. You will have yours. I will have mine."

Wolverine has posed:
"Think we all know why Magneto really wants the cure..."

The gravelly voice of the X-Men's fourth-shortest member is the only indication that he's present before he slips out from behind the closest shrubbery to the meeting. There's no telling how long Logan has been listening in, sneaky individual that he is, but his hands are covered in engine oil almost up to his elbows and his blue and gold Xavier's Staff t-shirt is going to need to be thrown out.

So he was probably somewhere else first...

Cracking open the tab of a cold-looking Molson's, Logan keeps his distance, ish, but makes his way behind their unexpected guest.

"He thinks if he cures his mutation, it's gonna fix that weird thing that's goin' on with his nose."

Guzzle.

"Don't think it works that way, bub."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey reaches over to collect the kettle and some mugs and begins to prep some tea, because talks of war go down better with a bit of civility.

"And if you make threats like that, then you're giving them exactly what they want and making the lives of every mutant harder going forward. Even if you obliterate this lab or resolve this cure, what then? They'll just make another, and another, and the next lab will be better fortified than the last. Maybe they'll come build it right on Genosha where they have plenty of test subjects."

"I don't want a *peaceful* resolution. This doesn't end with sides shaking hands and laughing over it being a terrible idea. I want a resolution that will last more than a week, or a month, maybe a year if we'd be lucky."

Cyclops has posed:
"We have already destroyed a majority of the lab. I'm sure by now they're moving their work to a new facility. We were not gentle with our efforts on taking down Metaforce."

Scott lets out a low sigh in his throat. "And you know if you attack them straight on, we'll have to get involved and have an epic throwdown in which everyone's feelings get hurt. Just put your pride away, Erik, and send your scientist over here to work with Hank. Teamwork makes the dreamwork. I even have a poster of it on the wall."

He really does. It's right there on the left. Complete with a picture of a group of smiling construction workers high fiving each other.

He tilts his head over to Logan, then gives a glance over to Jean with a withering sigh. "Good morning, Logan."

Magneto has posed:
    "Ahh, Logan," Erik says without a trace of surprise in his voice. "Charles's broadsword with the intellect to match." He turns his head to observe the Canadian for a moment before looking back at Jean and Scott. "The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable." Erik leans back into the chair slightly and crosses one leg over the other. "We resolve this by destroying any lab. Over and over again if neccessary. Eventually they will learn it is a waste of time and resources to keep doing it." He once again focuses on Scott. "And as much as you are a walking motivational poster, I will simply have to find my own sample apparently. I had hoped we could work together, but apparently you lack any of the subtlty of Charles."

Wolverine has posed:
Puffing up a bit, half-empty beer can in hand, Logan seems to take the veiled insult as a backhanded compliment.

"Mornin'. -BRAAAAP- I disagree with everybody."

Probably the least surprising thing that Logan has ever said, coming right ahead of 'I'm gonna be gone a few days.' and 'I need to borrow the Blackbird, I'm outta beer.' Speaking of which, he probably doesn't need any tea, having learned over the past few years to bring his own refreshmenets, because the X-Men have boring snacks.

Xavier must own stock in a granola mine or something.

"Me, I wanted to flush alla this cure down the toilet, up until Beast told me that here in New York... they don't treat the sewer water as well as they should. So if we flush it, we might mess around and cure every mutant in the Greater New York area... which would be ironic."

Unlike Alanis Morissettte, Logan seems to have looked up the definition of the word 'ironic' at some point. He's full of hidden depths.

"'Swhy I don't drink the tap water."

He has, however, been spotted drinking straight from the koi pond, but he was coming off a really bad feral episode.

"Speakin' of which, think I might have a sample of somethin' you could take with you. On yer way out."

Cyclops has posed:
"Logan, it's too early."

Scott says as he waves his hand towards the Canadian with a sigh. He pinches his brows with his fingers. "I am not Charles." He gives a tilt of his head towards the door, then rises upwards to his height. "If you have nothing else to bring to our attention, I believe Jean and I have a school to run."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey slants a look past Scott and towards Logan with a restrained - or deeply repressed - sigh. Probably the latter.

"Erik, for a man who professes mutants first, you're missing where we actually need mutants to want to stand and work together before they're ready to call themselves one people. That means working together, not giving black and white Or Else ultimatums. Threats aren't the foundation of a community. I'd think you'd understand that more than most." She sounds disappointed as she says it.

"Our offer to work together stands. If you decide to make a war instead, then we can't help you."

Magneto has posed:
    "Indeed." Erik rises from the chair with a nod to all of those present. "And I am sure I will pass on that offer, Logan." His overcoat flies in from the hallway and he slips his arms inside. He buttons the coat as his hat comes to him as well. "I do understand the meaning of community, Ms. Greay. Very well in fact. However, this is an attack. A clear and present danger to our existence and must be treated as such. If we let them have their cure, what will they want next and what will you be willing to give them? To appease them? There will always be a moment where we draw a line in the sand and say no farther. If they cure us all, what people will there be to stand together?" He finishes buttoning up his coat and tightening the belt. "And with that, I will wish you good afternoon, and I am sure we will cross paths again quite soon."

Wolverine has posed:
A sour look comes across Logan's face, as if he's about to say something that he already regrets. So he finishes off the rest of his beer first, crumples up the can, and tosses it in the general vicinity of the trash can.

He got really close this time. Basketball's not his game.

"Sheeeeit..."

Huh. He must really not want to say it.

"You really wanna 'work together'... I might know a job could use a rare Magneto Team-Up. Otherwise, I'm gonna get shot a LOT..."

It's impossible to know which of Logan's upcoming missions would benefit so greatly from the presence of the Master of Magnetism. But maybe they'll cross paths sooner than any of them would wish.