5021/Telepathy 101: Dealing With Space Fungi

Telepathy 101: Dealing With Space Fungi
Date of Scene:	25 July 2018
Location:	Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Tony Stark has a meeting with the X-Men regarding the Fungus Epidemic.
Cast of Characters:	Phoenix, Iron Man, Storm, Professor X, Cyclops, Archangel

---

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey has heard from Rogue about Tony Stark seeking telepaths to investigate the space fungi issue, and sought her earliest availability to contact him. Luckily, with Tony really needing telepaths to review the issue, he actually made time to meet with her. (unofficial: he may have also seen her picture).

Jean is dressed in a pair of jeans and a top with colorful horizontal stripes. Needless to say, she wasn't going to be super formal for this meeting.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony doesn't create a /giant/ splash at the school, though there will be plenty of rumors since it isn't like the man ever is subtle. He parked the electric yellow sportscar right in front with the STARK - 8 plates and everything. He's a version of his personal casual while still being Tony: sleekly cut suit jacket over a high contrast band t-shirt, jeans. He's led to her office, and in an overly casual way he strolls in and raps on the open door with the back of his fingers. He still has on his sunglasses from just coming inside, looking over them, and a charismatic, electric smile.

"Ms. Grey, hello," Tony says, not shyly waiting, but inviting himself in boldly, intending clearly to cross and offer a hand.

Storm has posed:
    Ororo Munroe is not far from Jean, sitting on one of the many couches in the office of the Headmistress. She is also casual: blue jeans, a white blouse, and wedge heels. Her Mohawk is free today, uncovering large gold lightning bolt earrings and a similar necklace.

    When she hears the rap at the door, Ororo places a book she was reading to the side, removing reading glasses from her face. Standing as Tony enters, Ororo approaches from the side.

    "Good to see you again, Tony," she says, extending a hand in offering.

Phoenix has posed:
"By the relative quiet outside, I'd like to extend you my respect for not making a scene...the students no doubt would have gone into a frenzy had they known you were making a visit," Jean says as she gets up from her seat and makes the rest of the way towards Tony, taking his hand ina firm handshake. "So I hear there's a problem that could require the discerning mind of a telepath...I think I may have actually felt a preview of it..."

Iron Man has posed:
"Hi. Storm, right?" Tony says brightly to Ororo, smile still at ease and friendly. He didn't see her right away on entering, but orients and recovers instantly. He's something of a gameshow host vibe when he's upbeat in this manner, ready and eager to get on with something. Contagious energy. "Great to have had you last weekend. Your Frozen routine made my repulsor arrays work eight times better." He is honestly complimenting, it isn't sarcastic edged.

"A /frenzy/? Huh. If you don't want me to make a scene, you're going in the wrong direction," Tony teases Jean. Since attention and causing an uproar are positives to the showman. He follows the handshake with her to one to Storm.

"Yes, we need some telepathy. And not in a small way, either. I've a story to get through on it, but I'll try to keep it brief," Tony says. He finds a couch and sits down, entirely casual, and semi-entitled: making himself at home.

Storm has posed:
    "Please, call me Ororo," she corrects, her natural confidence and politeness balancing well together. "It was quite the pleasure working with the Avengers and the Justice League on such an important matter."

    Maneuvering around Tony after their professional embrace, Ororo finds her spot of the couch, moving the book and glasses from the couch, placing them on a night stand and out of the way. When Tony is ready, Ororo has a leg crossed over the other and he has her full attention.

Professor X has posed:
     Wheeling into Jean's office is the Headmaster of the school, Professor Charles Xavier. wearing his fancy suit and this time, with a book in his lap, Charles immediately notices the faces there. "Oh! Apologies, I didn't think you had a meeting presently, Jean. I apologize for interrupting." His eyes, however, shift to Tony as the old man wheels himself right up to him, extending his hand. "Ah, Mr. Stark. A pleasure to see you at the school!" he says in his often-warm grandfatherly manner.

     "I had wondered if you were ever going to visit. Should I take offense that you didn't come to see me first?" he teases the younger fellow playfully before looking to Storm. "Ororo, good to see you in good health as well. I pray you've been well?"

Cyclops has posed:
It's unlike Scott to be late to, well, anything. He's usually 15 minutes early at minimum. Due to recent events, however, Scott has had to pay a few visits to the medical facility on the lower levels to nurse a wound he received a couple of days ago. The nurse being incredibly thorough is both a blessing for the team and a curse for maintaining any kind of schedule.

A few moments after Charles enters Jean's office, so does Scott. He favors his right side, his posture not quite as flawless as it usually is. Otherwise, his attire is typically well manicured and the expression beneath his red sunglasses is as stoic as ever. His eyes scan the room at all of the attendees until they rest on Tony. He offers a quick nod to the man but doesn't speak in an effort to avoid disrupting the conversation that has already begun. Stepping in, he moves to the side rests his arms behind his back.

Phoenix has posed:
"I'm sure once you have a part-time model position in your resume, Tony will be sure to visit you, Professor," Jean teases Charles, as few others would dare, before heading to join Tony on the couch, "Tony is telling us about a space fungus problem, and the need for a telepath to look into it," she then turns to look directly at Xavier, "I was going to nominate myself, not wanting to impede on your time, but you're by far the more skilled...should you wish to take a gander, Professor."

Jean does make sure to at least incline her head to Scott in greeting, there'll be another time to talk about all they likely wish to cover.

Archangel has posed:
Warren wanders in to the meeting and smiles broadly. "Good to see you, Tony," he says and extends a hand to Stark. Having moved in the same circles long enough, and being publically known as a X-Man, they had run into each other at any number of events. He claps Scott on the shoulder, nods to the others and takes a seat beside Storm. He unbuttons the jacket of his neatly tailored grey pin stripe suit and leans back comfortably to listen in.

Iron Man has posed:
"To be fair, she booked my time through my assistant and had two reschedules, I would not take it personally," Tony answers Xavier's tease with his own and a grin, shaking his hand without getting up. Technically there were three reschedules, but he doesn't remember. Tony's fine with his spot on the couch, taking in the new greetings with an easy calm. "Just about to go over some information the public doesn't know about the Space Mold, that also isn't in my personal wheelhouse to solve readily." A 'look' goes from Jean to Xavier as she outs Xavier as a telepath. A raised brow, but Tony's pretty sharp, he caught on quick.

But there's another female to address. "Ororo? Memorable and exotic," Tony says, tone clearly complimentary, of the weather goddess. He starts to add something else, but there's more people, and Ororo doesn't get the follow up flirt that probably was about to happen.

A tap to the side of Tony's glasses changes modes: the darkness adapts and changes into small orange and yellow holographic head's-up display images on the exterior edges of the glasses. It's like he has a very high-tech teleprompter. That's actually extremely accurate. He has most of it in mind, but why not use his notes on the fly? "Are we expecting more?" Tony asks, resting his left arm on the back of the couch, behind Jean, unaware of any issues that could cause. Or uncaring.

"Hi," Tony wings out to Scott, with a loose wave of the hand from the couch top. Sorry, no wallflowers. Warren gets a handshake too. "Warren, hey."

Storm has posed:
    When Professor Xavier makes his way into Jean's office, he immediately catches Ororo's attention. His playful teases cause a grin to form on the Kenyan's features and a soft chuckle erupts from her throat. "All is well, Professor," Ororo responds with a smile. "And, yourself?"

    As Warren enters and eventually sits next to her, Ororo nudges her comrade playfully, and then returns her attention on Tony and his tech.

Cyclops has posed:
After nodding to the Avenger, Scott's gaze turns to Jean. The emotionless features soften and a corner of his mouth manages to lift into a slight grin as he returns her head incline with one of his own when he feels a clap on his shoulder. A brow arches just above his sunglasses as he turns to greet Warren with a bow of his head.

All of the pleasantries now out of the way, he returns his attention towards Tony and awaits the others to settle in for more information about the space mold.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean looks as more people shuffle in, some later than others, but all there because she invited them silently by the very means Tony is here to discuss. "I gather by now you already know there is an underlaying theme here," Jean casts her gaze on Xavier, allowing him to choose whether to disclose the obvious, that these are the X-Men that Tony is meeting with.

Professor X has posed:
     Charles simply chuckles a little bit to Jean. "I will have you know that I was quite attractive when I was your age. I considered doing modeling but I correctly thought the business was too overrated." he smiles, before looking to TOny. "I was much younger with a more carefree mindset." he nods then. "You and I probably would have been fantastic friends even back then." Though his aged eyes look to Jean as she informs him of the situation.

     Of course, Charles also notes the arrivals of Scott and Warren, though he greets them with appropriate nods while he remains focused on a task. "I see." the Professor isn't even upset that Jean outed him. Stark is too smart to keep secrets from for long, though Charles may have the record.

     "If my help is required, I be more than happy to help with this space mold problem. I've seen it through the news and heard of it through other heroes like yourselves." he nods lightly. "Though, I will do you one better. Jean and I will both help you. If it's possible, Emma Frost will also be a good option."

Archangel has posed:
Warren smiles when Ororo nudges him and puts an arm across the back of her chair. He watches the subtle interplay between Jean and Scott with a slight smile then turns his attention to Tony.

Iron Man has posed:
"So, let's get to it, and then sort out who can help where. So. There's these men - and women - that claim to be able to control the fungus. I think they're telepaths, but it's not my specialty. Anyway. You probably remember the mutant in the news that put a big mushroom in central park and set the park on fire, and caused all that mutant hate for a few weeks," Tony says, beginning his story. He is a reasonable storyteller, confident with his speeches. And having a large audience only exacerbates that.

"That was not an isolated incident. SHIELD had one of these people walk right in their front with a pet mushroom. We know they've contacted government officials all over the globe. I had an agent grill one in Mexico. So, what were they doing? Selling their services." Tony shakes his head, smirking. "Their tagline is along the line of 'if you could control the fungus, what would you have it do?'." He drums his fingers on the back of the couch a little, letting them consider that.

"As we have seen in southeast Europe, some governments have decided 'march them into another country' as their answer to that question. Latveria got pummeled. I think they responded in kind, and that's where that huge mass came from that we dealt with on Sunday."

Tony obviously has more to say, but he's timing his story out.

Phoenix has posed:
"These fungus...one of them at least...can operate on the Astral Plane," Jean offers her own insight from a little bit of an investigation she did on her own, due to an event Xavier is no doubt aware of, as are all telepaths in fact. "That is quite a feat...but on the plus side, when it showed activity there...it showed a connection to all of them....we can use that to our advantage." As she makes her point, she also hears the threat of other telepaths taking the chance to earn money out of thise revealation, and she turns to look knowingly at Xavier, "I dare say, we can say with confidence...that we are capable of, 'overruling', other telepaths and take the remote control from their hands..."

Storm has posed:
    Mention of the men and women using their abilities to cash out on the fungal army, Ororo shakes her head in disapproval. "That's horrible," she whispers to herself, possibly loud enough for Warren to hear her. Having no expertise in telepathy - except for keeping them from thoughts she doesn't want exposed - Ororo is slightly crippled with the topic. But something tells her that there is more to the story, and Tony just needs time to get to the next part so they all can understand what is going on.

Cyclops has posed:
Wrinkles appear across Scott's forehead and his lips purse together as he listens to Tony. Planting controllable fungus anywhere on the planet to spread destruction in the name of the highest bidder. Fantastic.

His posture shifts slightly as his jaw ripples over gnashed teeth. He doesn't interrupt and instead turns his attention to Jean when she reveals a potential weakness in the 'hive.' He doesn't necessarily like the idea of Jean and Charles getting involved when there's clearly an established network of actors involved, but he can't help but admit they're likely the best chance given the power they have between them. Doesn't mean he'll like it.

Professor X has posed:
Charles seems to clasp his hands together in front of him, his eyes looking to Tony as he further explains the situation. "Someone is offering these creatures to leaders of governments? That explains why you can find them almost anywhere. It makes sense that many would readily accept them too, given that most countries have quite the bone to pick with others." He takes a deep breath before he looks at Jean.

     "Yes Jean, that we can." they were definitely among the top telepaths on the planet, with Xavier supposedly having the strongest mind in the world. Regardless, his eyes shift to Tony once more. "So then...do you already have a specific plan in motion? where to go?" he asks. "If these creatures are a hive mind, we can likely find the 'queen' as it were and shut them all down simultaneously.

Iron Man has posed:
"Hold on. Astral Plane?--- Well, hang on to that bit, let me lay out the rest of what I've got," Tony says, continuing on. "All right, so we know that these people are making a lot of money doing this. I've tracked the money around, so I have some hits. And some of them aren't hiding at all, still 'selling' their wares, so even easier. We aren't sure these people are telepathic, or even if they are actually being controlled by the fungus, or what."

He nods a little bit to Xavier. "So, that's two major areas to ask for telepathic input on: Are these people actually people and just greedy telepath assholes, or are they under control by the aliens." A pause. "Which sounds ridiculous to say, but there it is. I personally think they're assholes, having seen some footage from a SHIELD interview. They've provided a lot of information on the fungus, which also implies they aren't exactly on their side. If we believe their information. Some of our tests suggest they haven't lied about everything, at least, such as the hive thing. They're pyramid in command structure, we've seen that. If you're able to trace them to find the queen, through Astral Plane or whatever, even better. We don't know where the 'queen' is, if it exists. But okay. Astral plane. Why does it matter that they are there?" Tony asks. "Can we tell if they got there on their own? Would that matter?"

Phoenix has posed:
"This is certainly something that can easily be answered, and rather quickly too, through the Astral Plane, the fungus have distinct imprint." Jean offers an input from her own exploration of the anomaly. The question of importance, is the one Tony just asked, why is it of note. "Simple, Mr. Stark, a mind that carries presence in the Astral Plane, guided awareness of it, is not only an above average mind, telepathic wise, but a dangerous one. It would tilt the scale in favor of the fungus controlling those who appear to mobilize them for the purposes of countries..." but after a brief trade of glances with Xavier, something that other X-Men might take for an unheard conversation possibly taking place, she notes, "a Queen or Hive-Mother mind would likely be the powerful entity felt on the Astral Plane, meaning we can trace it, and one better...duplicate it."

She motions at Ororo, "I hear they do not like the cold...do you think if we got them, a command to situate in one specific location, you can make a second ice age, Ororo?" She looks to the Professor, "I believe with Cerebro it is more than possible to affect the lot, if we emulate the central mind in the hive, correct?" Indelibly a mentee of Xavier, as Jean takes the telepaths angle to resolving this issue.

Finally she turns to Stark, "their telepathic ability is a threat, but they have no clue how powerful we can get in that department...do you think it a worthwhile gambit, to try and lead them to their end? Assuming an approximation of an ice age could eliminate them?"

Storm has posed:
    "I will create a second and third ice age, if need be," Ororo answers Jean, her expression very concerned about the fungus invasions. Quite adamant about removing the fungus, even more so after learning of the corruptible activities of the few, Ororo looks to each of them and gauges their body language. "What can those without telepathy and nature help with?"

Cyclops has posed:
After spending time with the team, Scott has picked up on the subtle hints that Jean and Charles are carrying on a conversation sans words. The benefit of that ability is immeasurable and it's almost something he laments not being able to do himself. But all of the excess baggage that comes with it isn't something he would want to learn to deal with. He's got enough to worry about with the students. Him not knowing what's going on in their heads is better for everyone.

Relaxing from his stance, he folds his arms across his chest and just listens, taking mental notes of everything Tony, Charles, and Jean are mentioning. He does cast a glance towards Ororo at the mention of cold causing problems to the targets. His mind is already sifting through a countless number of potential scenarios.

Archangel has posed:
Warren pays attention as the conversation but stays uncharacteristically quiet. He is well aware this is not his area of expertise, but is glad to be apprised so he can support his teammates. His right wing waves very slightly back and forth as he follows along.

Iron Man has posed:
"Ice doesn't kill them, just makes them slow. Helps, though. We have some toxins and other methods that do destroy them," Tony explains to Jean. "It's more that they are spread all over, and finding them is a massive chore, particularly now that they move around. And gathering them up makes them merge into /bigger/ monsters." Tony scratches the side of his nose. "The big ones are clever, with new abilities. We saw one attempt to tunnel, on Sunday. The small ones can be taken out easy, now." Tony snaps his fingers. "When we have the people. There's something for everyone to do, even if their abilities don't seem to help: we need the boots on the ground. Or flying, if you can, to deliver the toxins and protect the innocent bystanders."

He considers. "So this is balance, really. We don't want ALL of them in one area, or they're awful. But if we know where they all are, and can network that to teams, to do sweeps and eradicate, that could work. I've been doing a version of that, as they're pretty visible to my satellite, but not /all/ of them."

"Oh, also. In case it's relevant, the Titans are digging into their history. Where they came from, who made them, how they were fought in the past. Obviously can't rely on that long shot to turn up something shiny, but."

Professor X has posed:
     Charles simply looks like he's about to open his mouth before Jean manages to say his own words for him! so he just zips it. Now he truly notices that he taught Jean well, and more than likely, she's surpassed him in that form of critical thought. Regardless, Charles nods. "My solution to finding the 'queen', as we'll call it for now, is to use Cerebro." he tells Jean with a small smile, though he does look to Storm. "Ah, yes, you would be excellent in helping resolve this matter Storm. Of course, heat will only feed it, so try to stick with blizzards and other elements of the cold, would you please?" he asks Storm in a kind and friendly manner, demanding nothing, while giving her the choice.

     Though he soon enough returns his attention to Tony. "Yes. It's complicated to explain, so we'll keep it in hindsight for now. Let Jean and I worry about that." though as Tony asks why it matters if Astral Plane matters. "Because, if we can manage to find and debilitate the queen in the Astral Plane, then we won't need to travel countless miles here and there looking for it, and we can most likely end the threat then and there. My only concern is, if one queen dies, the system might not shut down at all, and simply the next being in the pyramid will take it's place." Charles warns.

     Though Charles looks at Tony then once more. "Hm? The Titans?" he doesn't seem to know quite who they are. "Is that that group of youngsters that run around being heroic?" he asks with a smile.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean takes it all in quietly, nodding along with the words each offers, before holding up her hand and counting by fingers, "one, we locate the Queen astrally, emulate her to draw them in one spot. Two, Storm unleashes the freeze that would turn hell to ice on them. Three, we unleash the toxins on the slowed down fungi with every pair of hands we can muster...if Storm's frost can slow them down enough, we might be able to use countries' militaries, right?" Jean looks up to Tony, he's clearly better versed in international dealings, "the planet is a concern of all countries, I would hope!"

Storm has posed:
    As Tony speaks, Ororo nods her head when she hears about the fungus adapting to tunneling. She hopes they will not encounter any more abnormal abilities with the hordes, but there is no telling what they will truly encounter in the heat of battle.

    When the Professor addresses Ororo, she nods similarly to Charles with the same understanding that went towards Tony. She will be on guard. With the assistance of Iceman, the duo wouldn't have any issues with slowing the fungus down. "We will do our best, Professor," Ororo says, shifting in her seat.

    "When are we executing this plan of action?" she asks, wondering.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony squints some at Jean next to him. "I think 'all' isn't feasible. We have oceans in between, and we've seen how severe they get, with the one that was in outer space doing a great impression of a Star Trek villain. But... maybe zones. Like, a few spots on each continent. Tell them, 'Go to your local extinction point', or something," Tony smirks. "In theory, yes, governments will go along with us. If they don't already have someone they paid to weaponized the fungus. I'll work on the government side." Tony has friends in high places. He adjusts some on the couch, one leg up over the other knee, smoothing the cuff of pants with his fingers. "But that's getting ahead of it, right? So, if you guys can figure out if they can be controlled this way, and see if they obey you, we'll get the rest of it?" Tony suggests. "Maybe they have mini-queens by location. Maybe there's a mother ship coming." Tony adds a large shrug.

"I can be ready when you guys are," There's that relaxed arrogant confidence. The annoying kind, since it's rarely misplaced. "I've got the JLA with us, and they have some fast powerhouses at our disposal, too. So. Come down to what you're able to find in the astral, and how fast."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott shifts his weight once again and turns, appearing to break into a quiet pace across Jean's office towards the door. His head lowers and he appears to be in thought as he listens to the others speak. The muscles in his jaw ripple and his cheeks tense. Finally he stops as he leans his shoulder against the wall, returning his gaze first to Ororo as she asks when this plan is being enacted. Then to Tony. As soon as possible. At that revelation, he glances between Charles, Jean, and Ororo.

Phoenix has posed:
"I've been enough years with the Professor to never consider any telepathic feat unfeasible..." Jean whispers barely audibly at Tony's comment, though she doesn't contest it. There's still testing to be done. Is there even a Queen mind? Maybe it was something else activating them in the Astral Plane. "Yes, there's testing to be done...but assuming there is a Queen ruling a hive mind scenario...would eliminating the hive mind render the rest of them dormant? Do we want to test that approach?" She looks quizzically at Xavier, unsure herself, even though something inside her draws a strong urge to test that theory. A bit un-Jean-like, at least for those who know her well enough.

Professor X has posed:
     Charles simply watches the back and forth between Jean and Tony, happy to just listen for now. But...with a plan in motion and with a great deal of help in the form of the JLA and the Avengers (wowza), the Professor simply smiles. "Well then, I believe we can mobilize immediately. I can tell my students are hungry enough." he winks at Jean and takes glances at Warren, Scott, and Ororo. Seems it's time to save the world!

     "I may not be able to go physically with you because...well." he looks at his wheelchair. "I have a more combat-purposed one, but..I feel as though I will slow you down. I will assist you through cerebro."

Storm has posed:
    "Understandable," Ororo replies to Tony.

    She notices the quiet pace of Scott and came to the conclusion that he is just deep in thought as she was. There is a lot to accomplish in such a small time limit, so creating a strategy is of the utmost importance for the X-Men. "We don't want you to overexert yourself, Professor," Ororo says to Charles, knowing there is only one definite place they will need him.

    "I will put a team together with Scott and we will work out the mechanics, until you guys figure out the telepathic limitations of the monsters." Ororo uncrosses her legs, leaning forward to sit on the edge of the couch, and then looks to Scott.

    'Welcome back,' she lips, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony pulls his glasses off finally; the holograms in the sides shut off and he slips it into his interior coat pocket. He's been giving the wheelchair a sort of side-eye ever since Xavier gestured at it. Oh look, tech. "Two really important questions. No, three." Tony holds two, then three fingers up, lowering them as he goes over the items: "One ... What is Cerebro?" Tony asks. "Two, can I look at it," a cheeky grin, "And three, is there a bar in here I can help myself at, or another way to get a drink?" Tony questions, as if all of those things were similar in hierarchy to him. He has been talking a lot.

Cyclops has posed:
Hearing that the X-Men will be ready to assemble immediately, Scott's posture changes and he manages to at least appear to grow a little taller. His head inclines and he inhales deeply, letting it out slowly as he catches sight of Ororo from the corner of his eye. Glancing her way just in time to catch her silent welcome, he gives her a quick nod. The boy scout has something to do again and is more or less in business mode. He'll chat with her as soon as there's time so they can begin preparations for the mission.

Looking back towards Tony as he slips into a more casual mode, he attempts to head off the cerebro questions, "I'm sure we can find something for you, Mr. Stark." A slight grin stretches his lips, "I believe Logan has a stash of the hard stuff hidden away somewhere." If he's into pure swill. Scott stretches an arm out towards the door as if to lead the billionaire to his beverage.