Dinner with Magneto

December 03, 2017:

Magneto has a fatherly moment and invites Polaris and Eclipse for dinner, they talk about politics, Genosha's future and science.

Magneto's apartment in a Genosha military base

Spartan and awesome.

Characters

NPCs: Ferris the robot

Mentions: Nate Grey, Logan

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

Looks like Magneto's HQ is a military installation overlooking the bay and the port. The place is an eclectic chaos of military, politicians and mutates, many of which still wear the colorful skinsuits and have numbers tattooed in their foreheads. But some are wearing normal clothes, or even uniforms, and identifiable only by odd skin coloration, extra limbs or other unusual traits.

Apparently the new Genegineer, Sasha Ryan, is slowly managing to undo some of the inhumane alterations the old regime subject the mutant population.

Of the once majestic Magistrate Citadel only pile of rubble remains. An early casualty of the civil war. In fact many of the skyscrapers of the city have suffered serious damage and have been abandoned. The city is half empty, much of the population having fled to the more safe Carrion Cove, or even out of the country, to refugee camps in Madagascar or the African coast.

The X-Men have been given a couple rooms and Mar has been talking with them a few hours. Nate left early on, to look for information himself. Logan eventually wandered off too. But Lorna and Marcos just got a note. An invitation to meet for dinner. From Maximilian Eisenhardt himself.

Apparently he is not calling himself Erik Magnus Lehnsherr anymore.


Marcos was sitting with Lorna, his hand holding hers as they waited for whatever was to come….then, out of the blue, a note to come to dinner from the man of the hour himself. "Maximillian?" Marcos mumbled to himself, not recognizing the name itself.

Before he shows the letter to Lorna to see if she can make anything of use out of it. But Diaz was already uncomfortable in this environment….he never liked 'snake dens' if you will, and in a country that's in such turmoil…one could understand his concerns.

"Looks like we've been invited to dinner."


Lorna had been silent and watched with a critical eye as they had travelled through the war-torn city. Her expression pinched as she yearned to stop and talk to the people that were out and about—but refrained. She kept with the group though instead.

Once in the room, she kept put, her backpack slung down from her shoulders to the ground with a heavy thump and she'd remained to put her clothes away while the others took off.

When Marcos mentioned the note and held it out to her, she took it, a hint of impatience in her movements. Still, her gaze flickered over it and she nodded. "Yeah. So, it seems like you're meeting my father.." She drawled, and tossed the note aside, a glance spared at Marcos.

"Did you want to change? I can tell you all of your clothes are free of ferrous metals—for all the good it'll do you.." She murmured, and with a look of concentration, her metal fused armor and clothes melded into a different outfit entirely.

The battle-looking gear shifted to form a floor length skirt, though the top more less remained the same, a tiny skull clasped the changed neckline of her now halter-topped styled top.

It was nice to be able to manipulate metal and fibers to change one's clothes.


Marcos seems to take a deep sigh when he hears those words. "Your father." yup. her daddy. He looks at his combat gear and he takes a small breath. "Well…better make myself look presentable." he says especially after he looked at what Lorna was wearing. She looked pretty that's for sure. "You look nice by the way. Can't recall you in recent memory ever wearing a dress." he says just to tease her and make the situation far more lighthearted than it was.

It doesn't take long, but he manages to put on nicer pants a polo shirt, and a jacket. "Do I look presentable at least? Wasn't really packing for a full fledged dinner." he grins a little bit. Magneto. Well….worse that can happen is that Marcos dies immediately on entrance. Could be worse.

With that, he extends his hand to Lorna, a smile on his face. "well…probably shouldn't keep him waiting."


They have still almost an hour before the meeting, ultimately what they are wearing is not important, this is not a state affair. It is just Magneto and them (not even a cook, it is rare for Magneto to allow anyone else to prepare his food - poison is one of the few things he can't fend off easily).

He receives them in his quarters, deep into the military base. Spartan and functional, the dinner table with three seats in a small living room with a wall kitchen.

Full red and purple armor, but at least he left the helmet on a low table. "Lorna, good to see you again, my daughter," he greets. Then icy blue eyes fall on Marcos. "You must be Eclipse. I have heard of you." He offers the young man his hand, so maybe he has not heard anything too bad.


Lorna shrugged as she waited for Marcos to change. "My father has a bit of an 'old school' taste. Hence the skirt. I mean, he won't comment on it, but it'll show I'm making an effort. Which, is sort of the point of diplomacy, wasn't it?

Still, she took his arm and arched a brow as the rainbow lights burst into life as her hand brushed against his. "You know, if you shake his hand, it'll do the same thing—right?" She quirked a smile, waving the door open with her hand.

They had time, but she knew better than to be late. After all, the note had arrived when he wanted. Still, as they entered and she saw her father for the first time in three years? Her real father and not some alternative world? It was enough to glue her feet to the floor for a heart beat and to steal her breath. Her gaze swept over the room and back and she nodded to him as he greeted them. "Hey, Dad. Long time no see." She murmured, and turned her gaze to Marcos.


Marcos chuckled a bit at Lorna. "I mean…makes sense. Otherwise, he would have sent a few guards or something here…how it worked when I was still in the Cartel." He sighs a moment. But he nods a few times, taking her hand as they made their way to their destination.

"Alright…you just had to mention that, didn't you Lorna?" a small chuckle tehn as he looks to the lights at their hands. Though eventually they make it to the destination in question and Magneto greets him with a handshake….and he's heard of him. RED FLAGS! but Marcos keeps his cool like a guy with the experience to do so.

He extends his hand to Magneto, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you sir." he says respectfully, then he allows Magneto to greet his kid.


In truth, Magneto is only about ten thousand times more terrifying than Carmen’s father. ‘Nice to meet you’ is not something he hears often, though. Point to Marcos for keeping his cool.

Neither is ‘hey, dad’ but he will tolerate Lorna some things he won’t tolerate anyone else. As far as he knows she is his only living relative.

“Please, sit down,” he offers, taking himself the head of the table. The food is on the table, on trays. Chopped salad of finely diced tomato, onion, cucumber, and bell pepper, and roasted chicken with potatoes and other vegetables. From her brief time with Magneto years ago Lorna would know he is an excellent cook. He lived alone for decades, working in doomsday machines and weird research projects, and he is ridiculously competent in pretty much everything he does. It is one of his good traits.

But it does not quite compensate the whole ‘bitter old man with more power than most mythological deities’ part.

“I heard you destroyed two Sentinels” He comments, “they insurgents now have less than a dozen, I believe. Well done.”


Lorna gave Marcos' arm a squeeze as she drifted away from him to sit. A silent 'good job' as she moved to take her seat at her father's directive. It would seem her interest in cooking mirrored her father's—something Marcos would undoubtedly notice as a shared trait. Along with the high cheek bones and the shape of their jawline. It was subtle things, nothing outrightly obvious.

Lorna helped herself to the food, taking a healthy portion. She for one at least, didn't seemed bothered with the concept of sitting down and eating with one of the world's most well known terrorists. She'd enjoyed that freak out years ago—though if she sat straighter and minded her manners more than usual..

Magneto's words had her glancing toward him from her plate, "Thank you. We worked on being prepared for them before we came. It helped that we had fairly recent reports on their capabilities." She murmured, cutting a piece of chicken with care. Lorna was trying very, very carefully to be polite. To be diplomatic. Even if she was practically bursting with questions.

"I'm surprised that they had any left in all honesty. Have they been sending them out in teams of two frequently, or have they been using them sparingly?"


Marcos gives a silent acknowledgement to Lorna's squeeze on his arm followed by the lightest nod to Magneto. With introductions out of the way, he moves for the table alongside Lensher, and takes a humble seat next to Lorna. Though where she is more wild with her eating, Marcos exercises manners to try to give them an advantage…somehow. After a few bites of the food, he gives a glance to Magneto. "The food is delicious. Thank you for your preparation." he says respectfully. If you're in the den of the lion, be sure to give the lion something to eat as it were.

At the compliment regarding the Sentinels, he gives a small nod in thanks. "Like Lorna said, we were well prepared information wise."


"When the civil war started, barely two weeks after the X-Men left," comments Magneto, "the insurgents managed to take control of nearly a hundred Sentinels. No doubt thanks to the Trasks giving them the codes. But the factory had been destroyed, so they have few spare parts for repairs. They have been losing them at a steady rate. Still, they have caused thousands of casualties among the government troops as well as all the mutants that they can reach, both fighters or civilians."

Magneto eats without hurry, but doesn't seem to take any joy in the food either. He doesn't even acknowledge Marcos compliment.

"Our victory over the old regime is guaranteed, they are running out of weaponry, but the casualties have been devastating. And now we find another rebellion from the local mutant files," he explains. "Your arrival at this time is interesting. Just four of you? And I assume you lead the team, Lorna. Certainly not the inane Canadian berserk or the hotheaded Grey."


Lorna smiled faintly at Marcos' compliment, even as she continued eating. She knew to let her father talk, the man certainly liked to do so, more over to talk about the war here on Genosha would be something he'd be free with. Pietro and Wanda, the Brotherhood? That would have to wait. It was a bit of a bombshell and she knew that would quickly devolve into more problems.. to put it lightly. So she ate her food and nodded along as he described the details of what had happened since the X-men had left.

"That's a lot of progress to have made then. And explains why the two we faced had shoddy repair jobs." She paused as she considered what else to say, setting her fork down from another bite of chicken.

"I wanted to come weeks ago, actually. But things have been chaotic state side. There's a lot of anti-mutant sentiment going on and well, more or less the X-men can't be spared. We're not part of their teams, and Marcos and I were ready to come on our own…" She murmured softly, green eyes lifting to consider her father. "We've been living out of Mutant Town, in New York, actually. I felt it gave us more room to do good for our people." There, it gave him enough truth, and most of it was the truth. And deflect onto topics she knew he'd have an interest in. See? She could totally do diplomacy.


Marcos just kept quiet, eating his food and shedding his gaze to both Lorna and Magneto as they took their turns speaking. Though when he hears that the insurgents captured over 100 Sentinels, Marcos looks surprised….but he doesn't comment on the failure there. Wise move.

When Lorna speaks about them not being X-Men, Marcos for the smallest microsecond, thinks to say something, but he figures Lorna knows what she's doing….for now at least. With that, a small breath, before he keeps eating, listening to the conversation pretty good.

On the bright side, her diplomatic skills were better than he thought it was.


"Indeed," replies the old man with a light touch of disbelief.

They came in the Blackbird, trained to fight Sentinels, along two X-Men. Even if they are not officially X-Men the difference seems a rather academic question for Magneto. Calling them 'Xavier's disciples' do not carry the same weight.

"And yet you wanted to come," Magneto remarks. No, he doesn't believe this is a social visit. Although he was never truly hostile to Lorna, they disagreed in a good deal of important matters three years ago. But Lorna was a teenager back then. "What brings you to Genosha, Polaris?"


Lorna bit back a wince as Magneto used her codename rather than her name, instead she offered a faint smile toward Marcos and then back to her father. Scott had said to play up the family angle, and she had plenty of ideas on how to do that. Three years of separation after only a brief Q&A session of a few weeks really left a lot open for sharing.

"I did. For a lot of reasons, actually." She picked up her fork again and finished off another piece of chicken, before she paused and considered.

"I wanted to talk to you, about a couple of things. Mostly family matters. I did some digging about what happened to my mother in her plane crash. And I also ran into .. well, an alternative reality that raised several questions too." She set her fork down again and glanced up from her plate.

"But for Genosha? I think what you're doing here.. if it is as you say, to make a Mutant Homeland? That's .. well, it's something I never thought possible but I think is necessary more and more these days."


Marcos kept quiet still, though this was really a matter between father and daughter. Marcos ate his food lightly and with an elegance one wouldn't suspect of a former Cartel member. But it's also rather impressive….possibly, depends on who you ask.

But when Lorna says that she believes a place for mutants is becoming more and more important as the days grow darker for mutants…Marcos partially agrees. a hard subject with just as many cons as it does pros. But he listens, eating his meal with a delicate hand as he looks between father and daughter…more scared of what the former can do than the latter if something goes wrong.

Especially as this is gonna get personal…


Magneto looks vaguely interested when Lorna talks about her adventures in other realities or the crash. He has a pretty good at poker face. He definitely does not want Lorna to pry upon the plane crash. So instead, "other realities? I have read all the Richard's papers on the subject. Fascinating subject. I'd like to hear about it when we have more time."

Which is not now, because the main subject is, yes, Genosha.

"Yes. The first mutant-run nation," he say gravely. "There are between five and seven million mutants worldwide. And the number of latents is likely ten times that. Here, in Genosha, the technology to turn latents into active mutants has advanced far beyond my own research. What I expected to happen in ten, perhaps fifteen years, is possible now because this island has almost a hundred thousand mutants. And they built the most advanced city in Earth as slaves. What couldn't they make if they were free? And if a million more mutants come here from all corners of the world. They are already coming, Lorna."


Lorna wasn't as good as her father at judging when others were deflecting, though the smooth wave over the other reality had her brows furrowing faintly. "Indeed. You were VP and had a human President there. It was fascinating. I had siblings." She murmured softly, reaching for her glass of water. It was true in that reality it seemed she had a siblings she knew was never going to exist in this reality. It was also a good dip into one of the reasons why she'd come to Genosha. Pietro. Wanda..

She stifled a shudder.

"So how much of the population do you think is made up of latent mutants?" She arched a green eyebrow upwards, tilting her head to the side. "Mutant births are increasing already on their own naturally, and that's just from those that are manifesting on their own. Are there any differences in those that are manifesting powers through their technology here and those that occur naturally? Differences in power levels? Types of mutations?" Curiousity was begging her to push for more questions. She couldn't help it.

It was perhaps, another place where their shared traits were apparent. That desire to learn.


Marcos's attention was taken when the number of mutants moving into Genosha was mentioned…that many? Even as a possibility, it was one to pay attention to. But Marcos remains silent…for the most part.

"That many? already possibly going to be coming in…it's impressive." he mumbles mainly to himself. Latent mutants were something to take note of…late bloomers as it were. But regardless, Marcos was already thinking of the possibilities…and they were many.


Siblings? Interesting. Maybe in that other reality Suzanne married him, instead that… useless human. But that would mean he gave up his plans. Unlikely. "Must have been a very different place," comments Magneto idly.

Ultimately Lorna's inquiries are more interesting. "All those are good questions. Latency seems to happen when some triggering mechanisms fail to activate during adolescence or are genetically defective. But this is merely a theory. And statistical analysis requires much more data. Also, power manifestation can be manipulated, see…"

He turns to Marcos. "Indeed, millions. But only about one percent of all mutants are the Alphas. Mutants like us with the power to shake the world, Mr. Diaz. In Genosha many mutants of minor abilities had their powers increased or altered to serve their masters. It was a brutal procedure that crippled many and traumatized most. But if we can refine it, the sky is not the limit."


Well if that wasn't a hint that Magneto knew exactly who Marcos was, and likely had been watching and or investigating just who his daughter had brought with her.. that was another pretty clear reminder. Never forget that whole criminal mastermind and one of the most wanted mutant terrorists thing. Nope.

Still, Lorna was fascinated and she was leaning forward in her seat. She had lost her original intent to question him further about Pietro and Wanda—saving that for another time she told herself.

"Well times of stress help to manifest mutant genes, so if you have a rather quiet childhood, teenager years.. Maybe that leads to some latent mutants going undiscovered." She mused, though she wasn't sure how a teenager could possibly go through life without having stress enough to manifest.. Not that she'd manifested in her teenaged years..

Even so, her father's news about some horrible way that was used to forcibly make mutants increase their powers.. it ticked off a reminder of something. Hadn't she'd heard something like that before? But where.. It slipped her mind for the moment and she shook the nagging thought off.

Instead she swallowed down more water and thought for a moment. "Did you manage to reclaim that technology? Are you offering those with latent abilities the chance to try it for themselves?"


Marcos seems to freeze only for a moment when Magneto calls him by name. Shit. that's gonna be a problem later probably….commence screaming internally. he reaches under the table and puts his hand on Lorna's, giving it a light squeeze.

He was nervous.

But he had one hell of a poker face, and didn't let it show even a little bit. Props. "That kind of technology? I didn't know that existed, more or less able to give mutants a power boost."


Of course Magneto keeps an eye on Lorna. He has done so her whole life. Well, except when he was neck deep in some insane project, or recovering from injuries after losing a battle with some superheroes, or jailed. So maybe half her life.

It is fatherly. And also possibly a little creepy.

"That kind of technology exists. I have used it in the past, but it took me months to adjust it for each individual. Here it existed in a grand scale. Much of the knowledge has been lost in the war, or stolen. But a good deal is preserved and I am convinced most of it still exists somewhere in the island. I will search for it once the situation has stabilized."


Rainbow lights bloomed at Marcos' light touch, her magnetic fields were practically a buzz being this close to her father. They were polar opposites on the magnetic spectrum and while he could keep his fields in closer and more tramped down than she could, she could still sense them. Sense him. Like there was a magnetic chord connecting them, always.

So if he'd intended to keep his touch between the two of them, it was obviously much less so.

Still, that was good news that her father didn't have that technology yet, right? She knew that would be something that the X-men would want.. Though was it really such a bad idea to offer that opportunity to people if they wanted it?

She shifted, her lips pursing together briefly. Even as she returned Marcos' hand squeeze.

"I imagine that this place will look very different in a couple of months." A pause, and she considered, falling silent for a beat.


Eclipse looks to Magneto waringly, but his poker face doesn't show it. His eyes watch him closely, and a few nods are answered in response to the older man's words. He looks then to Lorna as she speaks, returning the squeeze of their hands touching. A small breath taken, a small breath lost. He looks to be in thought…if such technology was available…it could truly help mutants. But if it's Magneto's hands….

"I would think so." he looks right at Magneto then, avoiding challenging him at all, rather agreeing with Lorna.


Magneto nods, letting a few seconds pass while they eat. Then continues. “Rebuilding will take more than two months. But in two months the war should be over and the reconstruction will begin swiftly. Hammer Bay will be a mutant city by the end of 2018. Only those humans that fought for the Resistance deserve to live here. The rest can settle in Carrion Cove or leave the island for good. Indeed over a million has fled already.”


Lorna blinked, arching a brow upwards. "Two months?" A glance was spared toward Marcos and she looked back. She didn't ask 'That fast'—if they'd taken down the Snetinels from 100 to 12 in a few months..

Still, she paused, considering her father. Green eyes lifted upwards to meet his gaze. "I want to stay then, for those two months. Help the people here gain some sembalance of peace. So they can rebuild." She reached for her water again and sipped at it cautiously. His ultimatum about what would happen with the humans in the city— their choice? She found she couldn't disagree.

Not when they'd used mutants as slaves. She'd read the reports. They didn't deserve to benefit from Mutant kind's rebuilding of the city.


Marcos's eyes widen. "Two months?" he asks curiously. Wow….fast. He looks to Lorna then, before he turned his attention back to Magneto when he speaks of the humans remaining. "Wise." he compliments on Magneto's policy.

Though when Lorna vocalizes that she's going to stay, his hand squeezes hers. "I'm staying too. Just to be sure." he nods then a few times, siding with his girlfriend on this one pretty easily. Though judging from how Marcos held Lorna's hand…it was uncertain. But he had his own questions that needed answering.


"Excellent. You two are welcome to stay as long as you want, and as long as you abide to the laws," replies Magneto. He said 'you two' because it definitely does not apply to Logan and Nate Grey. But he will try to avoid unpleasantness this evening.

"Rebuilt Hammer bay will mostly be a mutant city. The bulk of the humans, those who did not commit crimes against mutantkind, can settle in the Carrion Cove area. Already a few international corporations are inquiring about business opportunities. The European Union will lift the trade embargo before the year is over. India and Russia will follow. The US might take a few more months, but the reasons of the embargo are gone. And the United Nations think if I am busy here I won't be bothering them elsewhere." He sips some water, then adds with a sneer. "Those fools."


Lorna squeezed Marcos' hand beneath the table and let it go finally, the light show ending as she reached to finish off her plate and set her fork down properly this time. "…What are the laws, dare I ask?" She arched a green eyebrow upwards and as her father continued onwards with his plans for what was going to happen in Genosha she had to fight back the urge to purse her lips and frown.

To say that her father's sneer made her uncomfortable was an understatement. Especially given that his words were exactly what she was afraid of. His not being able to be kept occupied, much less content with a small island nation for long. Still. It might at least keep some of his attention. At least, if he didn't abandon it too.

Abandonment issues? Nah. Course not.

"What system of government are you looking at for the island?" Don't call your father a fascist dictator to his face. That would end badly.


Marcos nods to Magneto when he says that they are more than welcome to stay…but what worries him are Nate and Logan. They probably won't be happy with this decision, but when they tell them what the plan is..maybe? Nate won't take this well -at all-.

"Alright…." he seems to grip his chair when Magneto calls the hopes of the other nations fools…he was right. Magneto will never change. He doesn't want an island, he wants all the world to kneel. When Lorna asks what the laws are, Marcos nods, then looks to the Master of Magnetism as if to find his answer there as well.


"Parliamentary democracy, Lorna," what, did she expect he would be 'Emperor' or 'President for Life'? "After a few months to write a new Constitution and let political parties organize. It is what Genosha has been for a century. I might run for the first term, but eventually I will retire when the place is running and strong. Genosha will be a beacon of hope for all mutantkind, but I will fight wherever our people need me."

He smiles, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes. "The truth is the whole world belongs to mutants, not this small island they are giving us. They want me to stay here. They want all the 'mutant terrorist and revolutionaries' to come here and forget the rest of the world. It is their trap. The troublemakers will be sent to Genosha. Then they can experiment, enslave and exterminate the rest. As always. This is why the United Nations agreed Ambassador Alda Huxley plan."


Lorna tilted her head to the side, a frown marring her features finally. She couldn't help it. Her poker face was shit compared to her father's and she squared her jaw as she worked through a complicated set of emotions that his words brought to mind. Finally, she seemed to school her face into some kind of an even kilter and exhaled a soft sigh.

"..If you leave the island alone to handle that, won't it leave it without defenses? Won't they use it as an excuse to attack? If so many mutants here.. they'd be sitting ducks.. wouldn't they? Even if.. after a few … what, years? Wouldn't it be better to leave the rescues of other mutants to someone else?" Her voice edged slightly with a thick emotion, and an accusation, unsaid, remained in her throat.

You would abandon people that love you, worship you even, and leave them.


Marcos looks at Magneto, narrowing his eyes, the same tone matched Marcos's words as Lorna. Her pain was his to bear as well. "You want to subjugate all the world?" he answers "A haven for mutants isn't enough?" he asks, a place where Mutants could be -safe-.

Lorna also brought up a -very- good point. and Marcos looked to Magneto to gauge his answers to all of this.


"They won't be without defenses," remarks Magneto. "Tens of thousands of mutant, Lorna. Some will be as well-trained as the X-Men. Professional soldiers with the power of gods. Hmm?"

"Eclipse, mutantkind will become the dominant species within a century," points out Magneto. "Humankind will be functionally extinct without three. It is mere genetics and evolution. But right now mutants suffer from social and legal discrimination in virtually all the countries of the world. In America there were savage attacks of the genocidal Purifier militias against Mutant Town just two years ago. In the middle of New York. Hundreds died all over the country. And America is still one of the best places for mutants in the whole world."


Lorna pursed her lips, shooting Marcos a look. He was tredding a very, very, fine line with his word choice. And she knew it. "And how many mutants can fight off a nuclear attack? I can think of very few, besides you. You said yourself that mutants of such power levels are rare." Her brows pinched and she exhaled a breath.

"Why not let those groups you help get mutants out of those horrible situations? Bring them here. Offer them safety. Screw the rest of the world. If mutants will become dominant in a few generations.. then play the long game. Build this place up." Her chest tightened and she swallowed a lump in her throat.

"I've seen the anti-mutant riots that are starting up again. The mutant registration acts are being proposed again. All because people got scared again.."


Marcos looked like he still had his doubts. He knew what line he was dancing. He didn't look at Lorna, so clearly he must have known the risks. Color him surprised at Magneto's more peaceable explanation. "What Lorna said…not many people other than those like you can fend off the full might of nations." he nods once before he leans back in his seat, content with letting Lorna speak about his concerns.

"It's not a good situation back home. and mutants are acting out, making it far worse. mutants and humans alike are afraid." he speaks. Coming from someone who's been helping smuggling them to safety.


"I am playing the long game," replies Magneto. "The long game requires mutants to survive all over the world, not just in a tiny island. Nuclear war is only one of the threats we face. Biological warfare. Mass sterilization. Outright genocide. Genetic manipulation. Those are all possibilities and please, do not fool yourselves thinking they are not on the table for anti-mutant politicians and scientists. The safety of mutantking is a world-wide problem. Establishing a safe haven is an important step ahead, but it is only the beginning of the road. I do not seek world domination, but I want a future for our people and I will take any step necessary to ensure it."

He finishes the meal, and leans back on his chair, looking at the younger mutants coldly. "Of course some mutants are fighting back. See? For a couple years the human governments have been worried about aliens. There was an alien raid and they suddenly realized they are very small and weak and there are monsters out there. So they have built a space station and a small army. Laughable by any galactic power standards, but enough to convince some fools they are safe and can return to handle the 'mutant problem'. Another alien attack and maybe they will forget another couple years. Would we be so lucky."


Lorna pursed her lips, and looked down at her most entirely empty plate. She knew those arguments her father used…. She'd used them. She'd seen it. She'd been pissed off and angry and.. and she wasn't her father. Wasn't him… Didn't do what he did. She did the right thing… At least she told herself that it was different. Different how, she couldn't put to words right then.

Lona had no argument against what he had to say. And her hands dropped to her lap and curled into fists there.

Perhaps this is what Scott and Jean had been worried about all along. Lorna's pechant for letting her anger rule her when she saw injustice, it seemed, would be a shared trait. Another in a long, long list that Marcos likely would be adding onto with each passing moment.

And the future he'd spoke of.. it was exactly the reasons he gave that she had told Marcos for why she never wanted to have kids. Not until something changed. Until the world changed..

"Pietro and Wanda, two mutants, attacked our own people, unwarranted. They attacked a bunch of PTA moms that couldn't even organize a bake sale. They attacked me." Green eyes lifted upwards to meet his chilly gaze. "Attacking bigots, neo-nazis and anyone that threatens mutants? Yeah, I support that whole heartedly.. But they're doing a shit job of it and they're doing it in the Brotherhood's name."


Marcos finished his meal in working order when Lorna and Magneto finished theres, good at keeping to task even when distracted by clearly far superior matters. Though he clenches his fist under the table at Magneto's words. he nods in agreement with Lorna.

"Pietro's a speedster, and Wanda's some sort of telekinetic. They are causing terror for the sole purpose of causing terror. They attacked mutants too." he nods with Lorna in agremeent as they echo. This is why Marcos wanted kids, but wanted to wait.

He was angry in truth. With the brotherhood rising again, it only made things -far- harder for mutants.


Magneto ahs, smiling mildly. "So a pair of fools are being foolish and soiling the Brotherhood 'good' name?" He tsks. "Looks like a job for the X-Men, Lorna. They can police New York for this kind of pointless violence. You are not going to hear me defending an attack on PTA moms or other mutants."

Unless of course those other mutants were interfering. He is not unaware of what is going on in New York. Or in many other places. But particularly New York because Xavier is there. The names, Wanda and Pietro, do not seem to cause any reaction on the white-haired mutant. He has no idea who they are or he is just impossibly good at hiding his emotions.


Well at least that seemed to break her anger back down to managable levels and Lorna was able to lift her gaze to look back at her father to catch the fact that he … didn't seem to know or recognize the names at all. She mentally sighed and glanced toward Marcos again instead. She looked tired, exhausted from playing the mental gymnastics games that interacting with her father entailed.

Her emotions were too on edge, swinging from one extreme to the next.

Could she really make it two months around him? Perhaps it was better for her mental health that the man abadoned her for most of her life.

"..It's sort of the reason that the X-men teams aren't coming back here. They're too busy. And like I said. I'm more of a reserve member. I haven't been on a team since I graduated high school." Since she'd had her first conversation with her father in that resturant in Mutant Town, three years ago.

A glance was spared to the table. "Do you need help cleaning up or anything?" She offered lamely.


Marcos looks between Lorna and Magneto, though seems quite happy with Magneto's answer about Pietro and Wanda…but he just -knows- he's hiding something. call it a gut feeling. Such things are rarely ever wrong…but no one is called a terrorist without a reason. Thus he takes a small breath. "I'm not exactly an X-Man either. Just a helping hand that offered to help." he rises to his feet, looking at the table and collecting his plate and Lorna's even though Lorna just asked if he needed any help.

"I can get it." he says simply, humbly, but simply. He's just gonna keep working until it's all clean or someone stops him.


"That is fine. I don't get along with most of the X-Men," admits Magneto. And confronting them right now, when they are also considered heroes in Genosha, would be politically unfortunate.

Magneto stands, and glances at Lorna and Marcos shaking his head. "Ferris will take care of that," he states.

Ferris being the purple and silver robot that just hovered in from his office. Of course Magneto has a super-tech robot assistant. Because, why not?

"I would offer you a drink, but I am afraid I need to be by the port in ten minutes. A ship with mutant refugees from the Middle East is arriving soon. We can talk again tomorrow, I am sure."


Lorna paused to give Marcos a look as he reached for her plate, and she climbed to her feet as her father stood as well. A glance was spared for the robot that floated in and she felt an odd twist in her stomach. She could ask him how he'd built his hemlet. Ask him to help her fix the one she'd kept from that other world. But not now, now was decidedly not the time.

Still, she reached for Marcos' arm instead.

"Thank you for dinner. It's alright about the drink. Another time.."


Marcos looked at Magneto curiously when he announced that Ferris would take care of it. Huh….a robot. Somehow he didn't expect this, after -everything- he's seen. Chump. he gives a small nod and puts the plates and scraps back on the table.

When Lorna grabbed his arm, he took the hint. "Thank you. We appreciate it. As for drinks, it's fine. Not much of one anyway." a small smile then. "Goodnight, Magneto."

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