8695/Resonance from the Past

Resonance from the Past
Date of Scene:	08 August 2019
Location:	Magneto's flying fortress
Synopsis:	A meeting of the minds and an alliance begins based in a time long since passed.
Cast of Characters:	Magneto, Captain America, Winter Soldier
Tinyplot:	Black Sun Rising

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Magneto has posed:
     Earlier this afternoon, what the news outlets have dubbed Fortress M has stopped just outside the boundaries of international waters and airspace. Of course, this has the United States in a defensive position.

  The fortress is a mass of metal and modular Genoshan buildings. Incominc communique from military channels had gone ignored until there was a certain hail from the two guests.

  For the first time since his announcement, Magneto himself answered the hail, allowing a landing at the designated area.

  The occupants of the Fortress did not have on any uniforms, and there was not any notion that this was a Genoshan operation.

Captain America has posed:
Rather than get dander up around the Triskelion, Steve has elected to use a craft similar to the Quinjet belonging to the Avengers. He did radio in both himself and his co-pilot, one mister James Barnes, associate and long-time friend -- longest-time friend, really. Having been given permission to land upon the area relayed by the flying fortress's tower, the Captain directs the plane to land upon it. He gives Bucky a significant look and, rather than put on his helmet, he holds it as he then exits the craft. Upon his back, the signature spangled shield. His stealth-suit is navy-blue with a centralized white star-and-bars spanning the length of his chest. As he walk down the ramp, he asides to Barnes,

"Figure we'll get the lay of the land and what he's thinking before we consider anything like an alteraction."

Winter Soldier has posed:
"I dunno about you, but I'm in no goddamned hurry to piss off a guy whose stock in trade is messing with metal." Yeah, this might as well be something designed to put Buck's back up. But on the other hand....Steve doesn't get to waltz into danger alone and unaccompanied.

He is in plain, insignialess black fatigues, as opposed to full on leather HYDRA gimp drag. The metal hand is hidden by a black glove. Not here in his capacity as a SHIELD agent, but in the 'don't let Rogers get his ass handed to him on his own shield' capacity. Just like he's been doing for decades.

Magneto has posed:
     What could be assumed as the 'main building' was the largest structure of the fortress, not as tall as the air traffic tower, but its plain to see where his operations were working out of.

  "Welcome to my base, Captain." Calls out the Genoshan Monarch. From the roof of the ops building descends Magneto, in his full crimson and royal purple battle attire.

  His cape billows in the air and he lowers to an inch off the ground. "Refreshments are being served inside." He comments, stepping aside and gesturing to the building. "Tea, coffee, soft drinks, and I believe an assortment of pastries and sandwiches." The helmet-glad mutant begins to hover towards the interior. It was not as grand as the Royal Palace, but this was set up as a base of operations, not a leisure cruise.

Captain America has posed:
Steve does pull up short in a smooth stopping motion upon seeing the descent of the monarch from on high. He gives Barnes a quick side-glance and then nods towards Magneto, the dip of head respectful enough in lieu of a bow. With helmet held easily against his hip, he replies,

"Thank you for seeing us, your highness. Refreshments and food would be appreciated." His steps are quiet and his air composed as he falls into step near to the monarch. As he walks, the Captain eyes his surroundings: he marks staff present, both benign and visibly armed both, as well as the technologies and architecture of the place. It remains militaristic without taking on too many aspects of the bases he knew and knows well as a soldier.

Winter Soldier has posed:
A mute little bow for their host, as he descends to mingle with the commoners. There's the saccadic tic-tic-tic of Buck taking it all in. The Soldier architecture may be gone, but the training remains....and he's scouting, ranging, and memorizing, too even as he paces beside Steve.

No obvious armaments on him....well, other than the built in ones. To Magneto's senses, the body attached to that familiar face is an oddity - there's some strange alloy woven through Barnes, from hip to skull.

Magneto has posed:
     All personnel present are in civilian attire. All of course are Mutants, some visibly so, some not so much. But none outwardly show any signs of aggression to Steve or James. Many people in fact wave and smile. "No need for formalities, Captain. I am not here in an official Genoshan capacity. This entire operation is outside of the Genoshan security force's scope. All these people, civilians, are here voluntarily in hopes they can avert the very same cause I am working against: Mutant Genocide."

  The interior of the buildings seem to be in the same technological level as many buildings on the mainland. The doors open to reveal a mess area, tables arranged to allow many people to eat and converse. It's not grand, more like a cafeteria. The spread in front of the long tables and benches is bountiful. Of course, sandwiches and breads were easy to wrap and store for later. Magneto himself lifts a cup for tea, enameled metal of course, hovers in front of an urn, and dispenses a steamy cup of black tea. "Please, help yourselves." He comments, taking a small sandwich for himself and taking a seat on one of those long tables.

Captain America has posed:
"Thank you." Upon being reminded of offered access to the food and drinks at hand in the eatery, the Captain wanders over to the section of beverages to serve himself up a mug of coffee. It's steaming hot when he sips at it, but a burnt tongue is the least of his worries in his estimation. He doesn't take up a sandwich just yet, though they are visibly noted as his attention lingers on them. Instead, Steve decides to join Magneto at the table, across from him. He waits until Barnes is nearby if seated before speaking up.

"Given we're not standing on formality...that's a helluva message you put out before this began traveling towards us." He keeps his tone conversational, his eyes searching Magneto's face. "Rather we work at agreeing to something and not come to blows."

Winter Soldier has posed:
Coffee and a sandwich for Barnes, and he sits without any more ceremony than Magneto himself displays. He's letting Steve do the talking, because let's face it, Steve is good at this. His instinct is genuine diplomacy, as opposed to Barnes, who's got that knee-jerk reflex that takes him straight to lethal force.

But he's still observing....and at that, he looks into Magneto's face, gravely.

Magneto has posed:
     Magneto's ice blue eyes look to both Steve and Barnes as they sit. Of course, he makes eye contact with Barnes for a decent amount of time. "I worked with allies to spurn the Sentinels in a diplomatic fashion, Captain. And their efforts were not enough. It came down to a simple fact, we apparently have not learned from history. As I said in my message, I will not allow this planet to see another holocaust."

  The cucumber sandwich is bitten into, and a sip of the tea. "My request is simple. Sentinel technology must be destroyed and obliterated. And Trask be held responsible for his attempt at destroying my kind."

  Magneto offers a kind raise of his cup to both guests here. "I would rather not come to blows either, Captain. You and I know that these metal monstrosities are no match for me, and I will not hesitate to bring them to a smoldering heap. I hope you understand my perspective on this. Two hundred mutant lives have been lost so far. We will not survive five million."

Captain America has posed:
The Captain listens and if possible, his countenance becomes more solemn yet. A hard light enters his eyes even as he breathes markedly once, as if to compose himself.

"It won't come to five million. I saw it happen once, it won't happen again -- not while I stand, even if I'm the last one left. We, the Avengers, have been working to curtail Trask's efforts without further inflaming the situation at hand. Not only have we been present at multiple attempts to attack innocent mutant-kind and defended them, our foundations have been working overtime to provide care for those displaced by the attacks." Returning the salute of Magneto's cup of tea with a lift of his own cup belatedly, distractedly, Steve then sips at the hot brew.

"Look. There will be casualties if you come at them with your full force. Trask will go on the defensive. Work //with// us, not parallel to us. We've got the same end in mind: the end of the Sentinel threat."

Winter Soldier has posed:
The glint in Buck's eyes turns ugly, indeed. An artifact of the Soldier, perhaps. He remembers the camps - of all the things HYDRA chose to leave him with, that has to be the worst.

But he doesn't speak up for now. Food's a good excuse to keep quiet, let Steve lay out the case before him. Rather than noting that bringing what appears to be a foreign military force onto US soil or into its airspace is a recipe for war of a very different kind.

Magneto has posed:
     Magneto looks at Steve, with the same intensity he looked down the barrel of the MP 40 all those years ago. "I know you know of what I speak of."

  Magneto removes his helmet, setting it aside for now, as he does so, he posits. "Tell me Captain, do you know that I've been blessed with more than just a mastery of metal and magnetism?" He asks, removing his left glove, and while doing so, the gauntlet on that arm removes itself, floating and landing next to the helmet. "You and your exploits in World War Two are legendary. The Star Spangled Man who took down the Red Skull himself. The man who dared to punch Hitler on the jaw." Magneto starts to roll that sleeve and holds the inside to his chest. "But I met two men one day when I was a boy. The legend himself, James and the Lion-Man." Magneto himself doesn't look much older than his mid forties, but as further proof, he lowers his forearm to show what he's held so very close to himself as a reminder. On his arm, a tattoo: 24005. "So now you know where I come from, Lion-man and James. I will not stand by and allow what once happened to my people, happen again to my people. I would fight until my dying breath with all the might I've been given to quell it."

Captain America has posed:
As Magneto sets aside his helm, the Captain's eyes quickly look over the monarch's face. He recognizes...certainly the element of tenacity in the man's gaze, at first. To see the manipulation of the metal gauntlet makes him become still in his seat, with his fingers wrapped about his mug of coffee as if to stave off chill. His gaze flickers from the armor and back to Magneto's face.

He is outwardly curious now by the furrowing of his brows at the revelation to come on the arm, but the reveal of two very familiar nicknames have him visibly straightening in his seat. A quick, startled glance at Barnes is silent and when he sees the tattoo, it all comes back.

Once more, in a flash of eidedic memory, he's watching the young boy get menaced -- the young boy who'd escaped along with the wretched handful of prisoners from a camp set in the shadow of horror and reaching power -- the young boy who had glared down the shooter even before the rest of them had reacted.

"Max," murmurs the Captain with an uncertain half-smile. It seems he's now wordless and looks over at Bucky once more.

Winter Soldier has posed:
That is when Buck's eyes get huge, and he chokes on his coffee. It leaves him pounding himself on the chest with his gloved hand, eyes watering, and it's a few moments before he can speak.

When he does, there's nothing studied or diplomatic about it. "Max," he says, and his voice is all but breaking, as he drops unthinking into Yiddish, "You *lived*." When neither of them did, really - Steve vanishing into the ice, and Buck into the hands of HYDRA. "Oh, thank God," As if Magneto were still the little boy, and not a dignified leader of men.

The suspicious brightness of his eyes isn't merely from almost asphyxiating on his own drink. That's an icepick to another frozen part of his memory. He even, ridiculously, pulls a handkerchief of olive drab cloth from a pocket of his fatigues, and wipes at his eyes.

Magneto has posed:
     "I did." He responds to Barnes. "I lived, and am perhaps destined to be the final living survivor."

  Magneto rolls that sleeve back down, and putting back his glove and gauntlet, keeping the helmet off. "I was small then, but now, I have the power to end the second coming of the Reich. The Friends of Humanity, once the laughing stock of hate groups, took control of one factory. That, coupled with Trask's goals whatever they may be, are a deadly combination. Just like then, we have every day people, standing up against this tyranny. Mutants, fighting for what is right, who are willing to lay down their claim to country, not soldiers, not conscripted to service. Volunteering to put themselves in harms way so that the young do not have to worry about if they will be killed in the street." His eyes well up just a bit at this comment.

  "We three, know what is right, more than anyone can understand."

Captain America has posed:
"Yes."

Steve echoes this sentiment of understanding with a quiet strength. "Yes, we do understand. We saw what happened when good men were lured with the idea of safety and security in an uncomfortable world. We saw soldiers, and the people, fall to the weaponry of the time. We saw death. We saw who was right and who was left, in the end. We owe a solemn obligation to continuing peace." He swallows and licks his lips, looking off to one side briefly before meeting Magneto's eyes again.

"It won't help, trying to put out this fire with more fire. You've gotta make a stand, Max, with us -- not against us. Bringing this fortress towards the United States like this has a lot of people on the edge of their seat and not with a tub of popcorn in their laps. Tell the world you're united with us in the idea of freedom for everyone, mutant and humankind alike. Help me 'nd James out." His expression falls back into solemnity.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Now the floodgates are loosened, and Buck's forgotten food and drink in favor of leaning in. Now he's speaking, impassioned, back in English. "Max, he's right. I know these damned Sentinel things are aimed at mutants, and that it feels personal. You can't fall into the trap of their rhetoric, of mutant vs non-mutant. They want to write the story that way, to make it that narrative. You gotta work with us. Work with all the forces that are commited to taking Trask and the Sentinels down. Don't make this a crusade where you ride roughshod over average Americans, because it'll only be fuel for these Friends bastards to use. Steve here....he's got more juice than he ever did. He's a symbol, but he's a symbol with allies and technology and a lot of hard-bitten practical people behind him."

Not least of which, Mr. Roboto here. "Trask won't win. We won't let him. *I* won't let him, because I, unlike Steve here, don't hesitate to kill, and I will personally turn his head into red mist for you if we can't stop him any other way. You have my word."

Magneto has posed:
     The tea cup is raised again, sips taken and then returned to the table. Then he looks from Steve to Barnes, and back again.

  "You ask for me to place much more faith than I've placed in anyone in a very long time." He comments, the once shy boy, turned to a man that held himself with the status of a king. "Very well, James. As I once did, so shall I now. I will keep this fortress in international waters." Then the Master of Magnetism places that gauntlet over his wrist again. "I expect you'll need my particular set of skills, however."

Captain America has posed:
Red mist. It's been a long time since Steve's seen this threat in action. If only it had been longer since he'd been privy to the threat himself, but...HYDRA was a perpetual pain in his perfect ass. He sips at his coffee for what appears to be a last time, draining it to the dregs.

"I can guarantee it, Max, though we'll need it with precision. The risk for civilian casualties and collateral damage increases when the robots collapse. How...precise can you be with your skills?" There's a difference between reading reports and seeing the metal manipulation in action. Steve's eyes fall to the gauntlet, flick to the helmet, and then meet Magneto's regard once more.

Winter Soldier has posed:
It's his stock in trade, what he has to offer - the headshot from a mile away. Small potatoes in an age of gods and monsters, but...if it's what they need...

"You know we're good for it, if anyone is." Nodding, Buck settles back, the chair creaking. What a change from the grinning young man with the tommy gun and the paratrooper boots, this grim hybrid. Steve's asking the question he'd like the answer to, considering. There's a little glint of humor in the pale eyes - the possibility of civilian casualties aside, he wants to see Mags go all out.

Magneto has posed:
     The grown man looks to the helmet and back to Steve as he asks his question. "I know you are. Which is why I am going along with this. Instead of taking it in my own hands."

  The helmet hovers in front of Magneto before he makes it split into very small pieces, then form back around his head, forming back into the iconic shape, around his head. "I have very few limits when it comes to metal. In those terms, I can control nearly everything." Hands extend to his sides. "What else could lift this fortress into the sky without means of propulsion?" He asks, smirking behind that helmet of his.

Captain America has posed:
Steve's eyebrows rise high at the delicacy of the helmet's dismantling and summary reformation about the man's skull. They remain lifted and thoughtful as he glances around himself, pausing with his face in profile to calculate dimensions from what he saw on approach in his mind, and then gives Magneto a look warily impressed.

"Figured that's why it was so silent. Very economical as well, environmentally-friendly. Good call, to stay over international waters," and his approval comes with a curt nod of his head. "We'll keep the lines of communication open."

Winter Soldier has posed:
It has Buck's lips thinning out into that thoughtful line. A glance at Steve, and the Captain needn't be telepathic to read the thought there: If Max is ever angry with them, he'll take Buck to pieces like a child tearing apart a rag doll. Whatever alloy the arm and its support structures are made of, it's more than ferrous enough for the Master of Magnetism's power.

He simply nods to Magneto.

Magneto has posed:
     Magneto stands, and nods. "Very well, I will instruct my people to relay any Avengers communique directly to me." He comments, looking back to Buck. He was powerful, and sometimes on the wrong side of the law, when it came to popular opinion. But he always had one thing he held above all others. To secure the future of Mutantkind.

Captain America has posed:
The Captain also rises to his feet and gives the monarch a level look across the table. "Thank you. Believe us when I say we'll need you when we do." Bucky's side glance hadn't been missed; his oldest friend was fighting down nerves the entire time upon realizing this factoid about the mutant leader's powers verses Barnes' current build for the entire flight.

He then offered an ungloved hand out to Magneto across the table and a small smile. "It'll be good to be fighting by your side when we do."

Winter Soldier has posed:
Now there's a hint of Buck's old smile, utterly fond. As if he can still divine the boy refugee in the distinguished figure before them.

He's risen in time with Steve, though he offers a little bow, first, rather than a hand to shake. "Just like old times," he adds, almost sotto voce.

Magneto has posed:
     The man, once known as Max Eisenhardt, then Erik Lensherr reaches and shakes the hand of Captain America. "I agree wholeheartedly." He comments, giving a smile, not wry, or with ulterior motive. This was an alliance, or at the very least, the beginnings of one.