Who Made Who

February 03, 2018:

Tony Stark Makes Some Bad Decisions, Nate sees a different Tony, and Lorna Makes A New…'friend'

Genosha

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions: Magneto Cyclops

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

The sun is just going down on the war torn country that is Genosha. Guards are still villigant, people still watchful. The insurrectionists aren't beaten back yet…

…well. According to some people they are the legitimate government…

…its complicated.

Regardless among the villa there is a watchfulness. Watchfulness that is turned into suprise as a tiny little drone floats up towards the gates of the Villa. Its not a big thing. No weapons or markings. Its a round white sphere with a little round optic in the front that glows with a soft blue light. On either side is a pair of stubby wings that aren't fans, or jets, or anything one would associate with drones that size.

It shows no fear as it floats there for a moment, pivioting back and forth between the guards. Then? Then it does a barrel roll. Because this is the universal sign of greeting according to some drones.

A voice then comes out. A voice familiar to some, speaking english. "So! Is this thing on? Oh nice it is. I knew I could get linkage to work this far away. Anyway! Yeah. So! I need to talk to someone in charge. So take me to your leader?"

*

Lorna had been sparring with the Acolytes again. This time, Chrome. He had said he wouldn't hold back, full use of powers.. and he hadn't. It had been useful to get out and do something physical again. To have someone go at it in the ring without trying to treat her as if she were something delicate that needed protection. Still, she had a guard, another of the numerous Acolytes as she made her rounds about as the sun sank.

The green haired woman was sweaty, wearing a simple black tank top and cargo pants, sandals slapping against the recently reconstucted path ways and roads. People that were just beginning to come out and get life's daily necessities done got out of her way, either because of the scowling guard at her side, or because they recognized who she was.

Either way, Lorna could very easily be taken as 'someone in charge', or at least near it. She was making her near nightly rounds, checking in with what supplies were available, seeing what else could be rebuilt or reinforced.

*

One of the guards pokes said drone. It just sort of hovers. Looking slightly confused one is just about to call it in when Lorna makes her way down. They look at each other, the pair of guards, and in a moment of wordless agreement decide to pass this on up the chain.

And so, moments after she finishes her set the green haired woman is confronted with…

…well a tiny drone.

"Oh hey you look like you might be important, got a second? Need to talk."

A tiny drone with a big mouth.

"I'm not hostile or anything, just…a ways away. So getting there in person might take me a bit longer."

A longer pause. "Oh this…wait…hold on…."

Blue light starts to pour from the drone as a holographic wireframe builds in front of the little bot. The wireframe is quickly overlaid with something more high rez and then again until a glowing figure of a man is standing there. Not just any man, Tony Stark.

The perfect suit, the trimmed beard. No sunglasses, but the ARC reactor in his chest is rendored in detail there.

"…there. Better. I'm Tony Stark. Though you figured that out by now I'm sure."

*

Nate prefers not to get too close to Magneto's Spire. He has not been invited inside anyway. The X-Men (except of course Lorna and Marcos) have technically stayed in the old military base. Which really, they didn't use much after setting up shop in Carrion Cove.

But today he is watching Lorna's training with a faint expression of disapproval. Because yes, the Acolytes are technically Lorna's allies, being her father's goons. But they are also a mixed bunch of mutant supremacist zealots, Magneto-worshippers, murderers and… just idiots.

This very low opinion is completely reciprocated by Acolytes, of course.

*

But when the drone shows up and speaks, he comes close to see what is going on. He does recognize the voice, although he has not heard Tony Stark speaking in a bit over a year. Uh oh, hologram.

*

Being called over because of some odd 'drone thing' had the green haired woman arching a brow and turning her attention to the guard's post. It was definitely different to hear about some hovering electronic that wasn't actively trying to kill people. Still, her hands were crackling with magnetic energy none the less as she made her way over. Ready for a fight.

What she got, surprised her. Lorna blinked at the voice coming through, her arms crossing as she looked it over with narrowed eyes.

As the image of Iron Man came to life her frown deepened and her shoulders rolled back. Eyes narrowing in displeasure. Not that she had anything personally against the man. Though she knew Pietro and Wanda certainly seemed to (though they hardly seemed to need an excuse for that). It was more of that protective streak that straightened her spine. The world had been more or less ignoring Genosha, and now Iron Man, Tony Stark.. of all people. Was doing what? Coming?

She arched a green eyebrow upwards. "What's your business on Genosha?"

A surprised glance was spared toward Nate as the young man came up, though Lorna's expression didn't change as she watched the drone.

*

"Right to the point huh?" The image of Stark smirks slightly as he folds his arms across his chest. "Alright. Though this is why I never actually do the negotiation. I'm not good with people. Hence why I build things. I mean I only have like…four friends. How they all don't hate me yet is beyon" The image pauses. "right tangent."

He clears his thought.

"Its been brought to my attention by two annoyingly arrogant but correct people that some of my tech is being used by people there. So I'm coming to take it back."

*

Nate peers at the hologram curious. Glances to Lorna, and then snorts. "You mean old Starktech weapons? Yeah, the Magistrates have some."

Why does he know? Well, he has learned to recognize the guns that get aimed at him. Particularly those that can really kill him. "Genosha has… had a huge arsenal. And I bet they reversed-engineered a lot of Stark Industries stuff when they sold weapons to pretty much anyone." Genosha weaponry is quickly earning a reputation as reliable and deadly now the black market is flooded with smuggled goods.

*

A furrow of green eyebrows follows, as Lorna blinked repeatedly at Tony's tangent, lost and unsure what to make of it. Iron Man. The Iron Man. Avenger. Hot-shot hero. Big business man. Was … was rambling? As he continued she remained puzzled, and utterly unsure how to handle it in the least. He wasn't asking to come. He was coming. And some of his tech was here.

Was he aware just how Magneto would view Iron Man showing up on his doorstep? Did he care?

Either way, she wasn't entirely sure if his flight to Genosha would end well. Much less of what to say. She was flummoxed. At least Nate offered a response while she puzzled out what to say.

Still her posture remained upright with the same mistrustful look on her features. "You're welcome to them if you want to hit the Magistrates. They're no friends of ours. Granted, most of them have fled, you'll find more of that tech smuggled out of the country now as well." Her lips pursed into a thin line. Magneto wouldn't welcome Iron Man walking around as if he owned the place. She bit back a sigh, knowing what she'd have to do to make sure that public relations with the outside world didn't take a further hit if her father decided to take affront to Tony Stark's arrival.

"Where are you landing? I'll meet you and come along."

*

"Great, just great." Stark's eyes cut towards Nate. "Its not like I've made it a secret for the past few years I've been trying to get my tech /out/ of the hands of people who might do that." There is real anger there. Anger and guilt for a flash of a second.

Tony Stark doesn't hide high emotions very well.

"Yeah, if /that/ is happening. All the more reason for me to get there soon. And maybe make a few trips." There is a something else though, if this has been happening he /should/ have heard of it. Which means someone was covering for these gun-runners. "Fine. Wonnderful. More to fix. So…" His eyes cut back to Lorna. "Shamrock, what's your name?" A beatpause. "I can land at the southern tip of the island in a half hour.

*

Nate gives Lorna a quizzical look. Because he is pretty sure about half the old Genoshan arsenal is in Magneto's hands, maybe with considerable stockpiles of Stark-made weaponry.

But the rebel Magistrates are the ones using those weapons on mutants. While Magneto's side is using them on the rebel Magistrates. At least that is the theory.

"Well, I don't think Genosha old fascist regimen was playing by the rules," offers Nate. "They were stockpiling weapons to go into a war of expansion and genetic cleansing. And, Stark, I don't think Magneto is going to… oh, you can go to Carrion Cove. Technically it is autonomous. They even have a SHIELD office now."

*

Lorna shifted her weight on her heels, watching the holo-projection of Tony Stark warily, with her arms crossed. "Most of the world didn't really care what happened in Genosha until recently. Not all that surprising you missed it." She drawled, and as he glanced her way, asking what her name was. Nate's own look had her shrugging. She didn't care if Magneto held onto weapons. In her mind, it was just as well.

Genosha had to be secured and if that meant lobbing various other people at the Magistrates to knock them out of the picture, she'd do it.

"You can call me Polaris." Another glance was spared toward Nate as he lent voice to her own mental questions in regards to how Magneto would take Iron Man's arrival. "I'll handle it." Her voice sounding more confident in her claim than she actually was. Handle it. Ha.

"We'll meet you there in thirty minutes. Take pains to make sure of your landing position. This is an active war zone. Things tend to get shot out of the air."

*

"At this point I don't really care what Magneto wants or not, my stuff. Illegally here. Gonna take it and drop it in the deepest hole I can find." Stark mutters half towards Nate and half towards himself as his sharp smile compresses into a thin line. "But I'm starting with the easy stuff. Magistrates you called them? If they are shipping it out they have to have a pipeline. I'll find it. I'll break it."

There is such confidence there, no doubt in his mind. Once Tony Stark is focused on something its very hard to redirect him. "SHIELD has a place here? I thought you all told them to stuff it?" He asks before he shrugs. "Sure though. Fine. Whatever…SIRIN. Closest Star-tech location close to Carrion Cove?"

He draws a deep breath before glancing back towards Lorna. "Yes, it is surprising. And its not like I—" He stops takes a deep breath. "Polaris. Fine. You people and your secret names. Landing zone is here…" And a map of the island pops up, the zone highlighted before he smirks slightly. "And thanks for the warning. But I'd like to see them try." A pause. "I'll be there in thirty. And if your systems pick up something flying faster than a missile, thats just me."

*

Yeah, diplomatic much? Tony just told a bunch of Acolytes how little he cares about what Magneto wants. It makes Nate smile.

"The rebel forces loyal to the old fascist regimen still control part of the Northern coast," he points out. But well, Stark will find plenty of political and military information about Genosha in Carrion Cove. Either from SHIELD or paying for it to the score or so of information brokers lurking there. "Eh, see you there, I guess," because definitely Cyclops needs to find out about this ASAP.

*

Lorna didn't seem all that impressed with Iron Man, though not for how flippant a man with the word iron in his name was in regards to the Master of Magnetism. It was more of an issue with the comment about 'you and your people' that had her rolling her eyes and fighting the urge to sneer. "Right because you and your kind are any better with names. 'Iron Man'." She drawled and glanced toward Nate.

"We'll meet you there." She looked toward Nate and arched a green eyebrow upwards.

"This can only go swimmingly." She pursed her lips and made to start after the landing point. Here's hoping her powers behaved.

*

[Nate Grey returns to OOC Land.]

*

The hologram is gone, but the little drone remains. Following along with Lorna and Nate as they travel. "You know," Stark's voice is conversational as the robot bobs along. "People gave me the name Iron Man, I'm just Tony. Or Stark. Or that asshole in a suit. Take your pick." A beatpause. "And you also realize I make fun of /everyone/ with secret names. Don't get me started on the Titans."

Half an hour later though near Carrion Cove…

Lorna would indeed get the report of something approaching at speed. Hypersonic speed actually. Something as fast as even Quicksilver, at least in a straight line. The crack of the object splitting the atmosphere rolls down the coastline as that tiny dot in the distance swiftly grows, and grows, and grows to a man-sized figure. Burnished red and gold armor. Heat signature from the speed of the armor rippling ahead of it before it starts to arc towards the shore.

Bleeding off speed at it does so there is a /slam/ as the suit comes to earth. Maneuvering plates glowing red-hot as the shift into their standard position as the Iron Man suit glowers around the beach.

*

Lorna had an Acolyte bodyguard that had joined them, one that had sent word about exactly what was going on at the guard post before they had left. A muttered exchange had occurred, even as Lorna continued to scowl at the drone and roll her eyes. "I didn

*

"I didn't want to go with 'mutie' or 'green haired freak', if we're going with what people choose." She muttered, flying her way to the drop point. Even as Nate broke off in Carrion Cove.

As she got there sooner than Tony had, she waited, with arms crossed. She didn't need much in terms of a heads up about Tony's approach, her senses were cast wide via her powers, more so than usual. And she could sense him a good mile off. The electrical network of his suit and the power within. Even if the metal wasn't some kind of iron-based alloy.

As he landed, her posture remained upright and unmoved. Stubborn irritation perhaps.

Her Acolyte guard remained a pace behind, glaring at Tony for all the world like he might explode if glared at intently enough.

A glance was spared toward the night's sky and a green eyebrow was lofted upwards before she looked back at Iron Man. "That looks rather impractical a landing." She noted, her voice dry.

*

"Makes me feel important," Tony replies about the landing as he turns the head of the suit towards her. The faceplate clamshells open to reveal Tony Stark himself, staring at the Acolyte and the Green Haired Woman. There is a smirk on his face as his arms cross over his chest, and no. He doesn't explode.

"Considering you're the fourth…I guess and fifth if you call mister Glareington over there…" He fingerwaves towards the Acolyte. "…mutant I've met. Well you should figure out I'm not most people." Meaning he isn't apparently going to call her anything but Polaris. Or maybe Shamrock. Cause he does that. "…hopefully you're not like two of them, who first tried to blow up my party guests and then broke into my house." His head turns further down the shore and his squints.

"Third dune down. Hidden bunker there, entrance should be in some bushes behind it. I can crack it open, but I don't know exactly what's in there. So…what can you do?"

*

The Acolyte sneered, at Tony, "You'd better address her high-" Lorna held up a hand and cut off Chrome, with a sigh. "Enough." The green haired mutant pursed her lips and glanced back to Tony. Her eyebrow climbing upwards, "Well, I don't make a habit of attacking charity galas, or breaking into people's homes. So lets call it an improvement."

She wasn't about to share that Pietro and Wanda were her half siblings. Let Magneto claim them or not. She wasn't advertising exactly who she was either.

Still, as he turned his attention to the beach and talked about some kind of hidden entrance, Lorna shrugged. She stepped forward, and with a wave of her hand, scraps of metal flew up from the sand and water to hover around her. A crackling sort of green energy lighting up her hands. "Magnetism." She offered simply, arching a brow as the metal melted down into globs at her direction and flew to knit itself into a kind of armor over her training clothes. A seamless bodysuit of green forming under her command.

Thankful that her powers were behaving at least for the moment, she glanced back to Tony and wondered how he'd judge her for sharing the same powers as Magneto. If he'd make the connection or not.

*

"Magnetism." Tony glances towards her out of the side of his eyes, amused for a moment. "Well that explains why you have a high mucky mucks guard with you. Hi again Mister Glareington!" A grin towards the guard before glancing back towards the woman.

"I like the armor. Nice touch." He adds before the face plate shifts closed, his voice becoming synthisized though the suit itself. "Try to stay behind me then."

For everything else she might have heard about Tony Stark, this strange driven, snark-filled figure might not be matching up to everything. The Iron Man suit on the other hand?

That never fails to dissipoint.

He stalks forwards, the heavy treads to the suit thumping against sand. "ATTENTION ASSHOLES WITH MY TECH!" The speaker booms out a warning. "I'M GIVING YOU ONE CHANCE TO SURRENDER! THEN I'M MAKING YO—"

There is a sudden shot from the direction Tony indicated, a blue-white line of a rail gun projectile fired at speed that slams into his suit and causes it to stop. The force staggering it around as it slams into the shoulder of the armor.

There is a sigh as Stark raises the palms of both hands in the direction the shot came from.

"They never ever listen."

The roar of repulsors splits the air as it slams into the side of the dune. Sand turns to glass and runs before the energy slams into concrete and tears a hole in the bunker there.

Precicely calculated to just tear a hole, not kill the people within.

Which…could have been a mistake. As a missile, one of Stark's own designs suddenly tears from the ruble left by his blast towards Iron Man's suit.

*

Lorna smirked faintly as he seemed amused at her status and the powers. Though how much that gave away, she wasn't sure. He was supposed to be a genius after all… One that was now calling out the Magistrates hidden underground without even attempting to use stealth or a surprise attack. She rolled her eyes, glancing at Chrome who stood beside her and was muttering about flatscans.

She shook her head, and crossed her arms as she watched the answer. A flurry of explosions rapidly happen.

Stay behind me. He had said. So she would. To a point.

Her hands lifted up and she expanded the magnetic bubble around her even further, encompassing him within the dome of protection. Which is what the missle slammed into. She ground her teeth, taking hold of the guidance systems inside it and slowly, twisted it around, turning it back at the Magistrates with a sharp and unforgiving sneer to her lips.

Polaris didn't seem to care all that much about the possible body counts.

*

Some of Tony Stark's suits are good for stealth. Most aren't. At this point in time? Stark doesn't care about stealth. He /wants/ a fight. He craves it. It lets him bleed off some of that anger that he's felt since the Twins visited him. The oncoming missile he puts his hand out to catch it only…to have it stop…

Slowly twist around. Aim back towards the bunker there. His hand snaps up just as it is about to streak towards those in the bunker itself.

The scream of the repulsor tears from his suit to blow the missile halfway back to its new target. He half-turns towards Lorna a moment, blank faceplate watching her as his voice, quiet. Not so snarky. Not so boisterous. Just…him comes from his speakers.

"My designs have killed enough people." Its quiet, an admission of the guilt and responsibility. The personal anguish that causes him. "I'm here to stop that."

Small arms fire slam into his shield as he turns back towards the bunker again. Inside the suit his sensors cut though the rubble and the smoke. "Non-lethal charge."

His arm snaps up again, dozens of micro-munitions streaking out from launchers on his gauntlet to launch flash bangs into the building.

The small arms fire starts to sputter to a stop…though the question over its actually over remains.

…Polaris might now enough to realize though that its never that easy when dealing with zelots.

*

Lorna sneer at him, no longer hanging back as she strode forward, "You can afford to be merciful. To feel guilty about what you created. That's a luxury I don't have, Stark. My people have suffered enough. I'm at war, this is my home. And I'm done with playing nice with slavers and murderers." She snarled the last bit, anger making her powers flare as she glared at him. A magnetic pressure filling the air as it crackled around them.

But she let him do whatever with his flash bangs, with his other non-lethal armaments.

But then she stormed into the hole in the buker, no longer waiting for him nor content with staying behind. Chrome at her side protectively. But he wasn't going to stop her. Not as she lifted a hand and the hole widened, ripping open further, metal screaming as she entered.

It would seem she was every inch as dramatic as Magneto when it came to entrances.

*

Stark doesn't have anything to say to that. There isn't anything he /can/ say. Though playing 'nice' has different meaning to some people. The explosions that went off in the confines of that now ripped apart bunker were exceedingly painful. Four figures lie curled up and moaning in agony as she tears the bunker. They groan as light hits their eyes. Start to crawl away, but none of them touch any of the weapons that lie scatters around the bunker.

One door seems to lead to a deeper part of the building, the frame cracked and torn from her ruthless entry.

"Sir!" SIRIN, Tony's AI at the moment, calls urgently. "Energy build up detected from the other side of the door!"

He doesn't stop, the doesn't hesitate, instead the suit suddenly moves. On instinct he rockets forwards, arms crossing to take an impact. Shouldering both the woman and her guard aside and out of what he calculates to be the line of fire. For a split second both might think its an attack, Chrome and Lorna might be ready to retaliate.

That standoff is averted a split second later as with a /vorp/ a brilliant white energy beam melts a hole in the door and slams into Stark's suit. The particle weapon slams the suit up and back, out of the bunker again though the hole that Lorna made. The power and impact of the weapon immense as Stark reads damage reports flashing into the as he slams back to earth a dozen meters away from the bunker.

The door falls and behind it is a pair of figures franticly working to recharge what looks like Stark-tech melded with a Sentinal's eyebeam. An energy weapon that could even have caused serious harm to either or both of the mutants.

*

Lorna was too fixiated on directing torn bits of metal to wrapping around the fallen Magistrates in rope like holds. She didn't kill them outright, but restrains were going to happen at least. It would be stupid to leave them able to flee. To fight back. Even downed as they were. The weapons on the floor came apart under her hands, and then, then suddenly she was airborne and tumbling off to the side as Stark shoved her hard.

She rolled, coming up with a snarl and ready to fight or yell at him. Either was acceptable.

Then came the large white blast of energy and she gaped, shielding herself with a magnetic field pulled close and her hands clapped over her features. Breath was sucked in hot and shocked as it ended with a blinding twinkle of heat and left her and Chrome unharmed.. and Tony Stark flying out into the night once more.

Polaris rose with a snarl on her features, anger hot in her expression, rage melding with her powers. They came rapidly, beyond her control as magnetic energies sung in her veins and beyond. Her hands reached out as she screamed in utter hatred at the frantic figures and.. lost all control of her powers.

Moira had warned her to stay calm. To be careful.

For just about a mile radius an electro-magnetic burst struck outwards. The power in the facility shorted and died. Computer systems were wiped and destroyed. Everything with an electronic core burst and died. And the bunker's metal screamed all at once as it was ripped apart and crushed.

…When it was over, the whole top of the base had been blown out, twisted metal reaching toward the sky. Lorna stood hunched, panting for breath and exhaustion pulling at her figure. Chrome propping her up at her side. "Well shit.."

*

"SIRIN wha…" Tony calls out.

"Electromagnetic storm, sir!"

"Countermeasures!"

Filimints of energy ignite in the outer surface of the suit as it generates its own countering field. Heating up the outside of the ssuit to white hot. Removing the magnetic properties of the metal for long enough to survive that burst as the sensitive and hardened systems weathered the storm…

When its over Stark lies on his back on the beach, armor scorched and burned where the blast hit. He breathes deep, painfully before the armor cycles open and he slowly sits up. A twitch of a smile on his face, revealing the fact that though he came in a suit…the man inside is battered. Broken ribs. Broken leg in a special brace. Bandages and dozens of wounds. Still…he came here to try to make right what he needed too.

Even if it was going to piss off Phil.

"Alright, Shamrock." A smirk at that as he looks over towards the remains of the base. "That was impressive."

*

Lorna pushed off Chrome's helping hand, his muttering something that brought up Magneto and another frown to his features. Even as Lorna tiredly dragged herself up and out of the base to the beach, looking at Tony and noting just how banged up the suit and man inside it likely were. She sighed, breathing a ragged breath. "Uhm.. thanks.." She muttered, her nose wrinkling.

"And it's Polaris.. Pretty sure I managed to destroy all the weapons systems that they had in there. Electronics. Computers. Security systems. Credit cards.. Thanks for uh.. the assist before." She drawled, and dragged a hand through her hair. Her gaze flitted around the area and then back onto Tony, heavily.

".. Just a heads up, but you might want to find some where else to be. That magnetic pulse is going to bring Magneto down here to investigate what the hell just happened…" She offered dryly. Her voice hoarse sounding even to her own ears.

Chrome seemed to have had enough of being silent or biting his tongue as he glared at Tony. "Lord Magneto will doubtlessly have you killed for putting her highness in danger. You risk—" Lorna glared at him and swatted him at the back of the head. Sighed and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Green eyes leveling on Tony then.

*

"I call a god 'Point Break and a Hulk 'Big Guy', you're getting off light." The Avenger replies as he flops back over in his suit and lets it close up about him, even as Chrome starts getting mad about well…everything.

There is a groan as he sits up and waves off the thanks. "Like I said. I'm trying to fix it. That means not letting /anyone/ else die like that." The stress on anyone. Mutant, human, he doesn't care. They are all people that way.

"Yeah, I'll be going. Though for the record? 'Her Highness' can take care of herself I think." She can almost hear the smirk. "Your highness. Does that mean he really is 'Emperor'?" He asks as the suit gets to its feet and starts to hover off the ground.

"Keep the drone as a gift. If you need to call, call. I'll send you my plans once I finish going though the rest of my data."

A raised hand and a jaunty waves. "Take care of yourself."

And then the engines of the suit ignite, hurling Iron Man into the sky.

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