Rebuilding More Than Skyscrapers

February 06, 2018:

Lorna talks to Magneto about everything going on. The two end up having dinner. (Magneto spoofed by Nate)

Genosha, The Spire

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions: Fabian Cortez, Aquaman, Iron Man

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

It was growing closer to dinner time in Genosha, or at least when her father had dinner. Lorna knew that it was the best time to try to get his attention and talk to him. And there was a lot to talk about. In her grip she held a box, inside Tony's drone remained. She'd been paranoid that Iron Man might have left it as a method of spying on them.

A small magnetic burst had zapped it out of the air and into the box, though she'd been careful not to fry it completely. She wanted to know if it could be reverse engineered or something like it. Perhaps use it for scouting ahead or into ruins that mutants couldn't get into so easily.

There was, of course, a conversation about her powers and the baby to be had still. And it was a conversation Lorna had been dreading. A sign that she was unstable. Uncontrollable. Less of an asset and more of a risk. And she hated that.

Still, as she made her way down the hall to Magneto's rooms she shifted her grip on the box and knocked. The green haired woman had changed out of her training clothes for a simple, loose fitting black shirt and pair of jeans that didn't have as many rips or holes in them. It was a vague attempt with her appearance at least.

*

Magneto has been working in rebuilding, full of manic energy these days. The Cabinet has seen few meetings lately. Their members have their orders, lots of orders, they are very busy.

No luck in finding Zealot. But the skirmishes continue north of the island. Looks like Aquaman never attacked anything, after all.

When Lorna approaches Magneto's chambers, which now fill several floors of the spire, the door slides open silently. "Please, come in," she can heard from inside. The old man should be having dinner at this time, but he is busy working in with a large holographic simulation of Hammer Bay.

*

Lorna entered, and it was hard to not feel her father's presence in the magnetic spectrum. It hummed alive in her senses and blurred her ability to sense magnetic north if she focused too hard on it. Another shift of the box followed as she approached, looking over the holographic of Hammer Bay. She set the box down outside the range of his work and arched a brow.

"I can come back later. I didn't mean to interrupt." She murmured, folding her arms. It was the closest thing to an apology he'd get from her. Irritation was easier when it came to her father. Still, her gaze lingered on the holographic representation, her brows furrowing as she studied it with care, wondering what he was looking at.

*

The room is not really an office anymore. It is more like a large chamber to receive small crowds of dignitaries or high-ranked bureaucrats. Opulent in a very high-tech way. And apparently not just for show, since Magneto is working inside. Armored, although the helmet has been set aside. He needs to shave.

"No. It has been a while since we last talked," he replies, without looking at the young woman. "Much has happened. Wanda and Pietro. And now Iron Man," then he turns to her, the holograms fading out. "And also you. Are you seeing Fabian Cortez? I felt your powers spike sharply a few times in the last month."

In his defense 'Seeing Fabian Cortez' is marginally better than the other alternatives crossing his mind, which involve Lorna taking power-enhancing drugs.

*

Lorna followed along, glancing around the room distractedly as her father waved off the 'am I interrupting' part. Her gaze eyed the rather opulent looking chambers, a match to her own. It was rather dizzying to think that this existed while people lived in shacks and makeshift houses while others had less. She didn't like it. But had determined to help where she could.

Then her father mentioning Fabian had her gaze snapping back and she snarled, "No, not at all. Though he tried. He said you didn't approve of Marcos. Not that it matters. I hate that man.. He comes near me again and I'll not be responsible for what happens to him." Her lips curled as her hands closed into fists, green power crackling at her fingertips with her rage. She didn't seem to notice.

A trembling exhale followed and she schooled her features, and slowed her breathing. The powers flickered out. "It's the baby. I'd wanted to talk to you about it. I .. went to Moira MacTaggart for help to confirm what I thought.. it's still too early to know how or details.. But it's the baby. I've.. I've had trouble controlling it."

*

Magneto looks at Lorna impassible, muting her display of power without moving an inch. But when she mentions the baby, his eyes widen briefly, in understanding.

"I see…" pause, "I can't say I am not relieved you want nothing to do with Cortez. He is useful, but untrustworthy. But I would almost have preferred it was something we could more easily to control."

She went to MacTaggert. Of course she did. "I want the Genegineer to see you. Sasha Ryan was MacTaggert disciple, but she has now access to data they don't have in Muir Island." He frowns deeply, remembering the reports. "There were many reason the mutates were sterilized and breeding was carefully planned. One of them is that it seems mutant powers of genetically close mutants sometimes interact with strange effects. Including uncontrolled amplification."

*

The muffling of her powers had a slight roll of her eyes, but she didn't comment. It was welcome at this point, to not have to worry about getting angry and blasting a hole in a wall. To not have to watch herself. She even looked somewhat mollified that her father didn't trust Fabian either. He could be lying to her, but she didn't think he had much to gain by doing so.

The comments about getting checked out again had her irritation flaring once more though, and she crossed her arms, pacing slightly. "What? No. What are they going to tell me that I don't already know? Gee your baby is a powerful mutant and messing with your powers. And we don't know how exactly, or if this is going to be temporary, or will get worse.. or better, or this is just how your powers work from now on? C'mon.. I'm.. only maybe three.. four months along. That's not exactly enough to tell us a whole lot." She paused looking back at her father, her brows wrinkling.

There was slight worry in her posture, concern, and discomfort. "I don't want to be poked and prodded again for no reason. I hate it."

*

"Do you think there is no reason?" retorts Magneto, lips pursed in disapproval. "You are treading unknown territory, Lorna. Mutant pregnancy is still quite mysterious from the science standpoint. Unborn children manifesting basically unknown. But there will be others in your situation soon. It is not just your safety and the child’s safety, which should be enough. It is also for the hundreds of mutant mothers that will follow your steps in the next years. Some of which will find themselves facing the same problems."

Magneto is not going to press the issue just now; he is not going to demand Lorna to go right now to see Sasha Ryan. But he will certainly send the Genigeneer to Lorna if the young woman does not go to see the doctor first. "As a matter of fact I was going to request you to study how our own powers interact, but I think it is wise if we wait until after your child is born."

*

Lorna's arms remained crossed, her lips pursing together as she glowered at her father. A mirror of irritation. "I've already sat through being poking at me for hours. I don't want to deal with another doctor doing the same. She said the baby is fine. Healthy. And short of locking myself in a padded room without metal, there's not a whole lot else that I can do, outside of what other expectant mothers need to worry about." Her jaw tightened, her voice dropping in pitch.

"Besides, you said yourself, that our power levels are rare. How rare my own manifestations were. Why should we expect that it'll be the same for others?" She arched a brow, shifting her weight on her feet.

His comment about wanting to study how their powers interacted had her blinking in surprise. She shifted, and dropped her arms to her sides. "What? No, no. We're not waiting until after the kid is born. Genosha needs all the edge we can give it to get this place under control and rebuild it. I'm not waiting however many months for that. Not when I'm able now."

*

"Absolutely not," replies the older mutant. "Again, it is barely explored land. There will be risks and if we harm the unborn you will never forgive yourself. I will never forgive myself. I still have many weapons and option open to me." He turns, walking towards the balcony. Metal and glass doors open silently to give him access to the broad space, from which he can overlook Hammer Bay.

"Experiments can wait, look at this," he offers, smiling faintly.

In the place of the old semi-ruined landscape there is… well, to be honest most of the city is still half-ruined. But the spire is surrounded by a dozen of new, gleaming rebuilt skyscrapers, reinforced with steel. Empty spaces among them show mostly growing parks, the greenery development accelerated by the powers of gardener mutates.

*

Lorna huffed a breath, rolling her eyes. "And letting the kid run rampant with my powers is perfectly healthy. It nearly had me wipe out a whole Mall. I got pissed off, and it nearly leveled everything in a… a huge radius. But yeah, that's totally healthy and normal baby behavior.." She muttered, but the heat was gone. She averted her gaze, shuffling her weight on her feet as she followed after her father and turned her gaze outwards.

Good thing she wasn't scared of heights.

As beautiful as the section of Genosha was becoming, as astounding as the progress was… it wasn't enough. Lorna itched for more. Zealot was still loose. There were still Magistrates out there. The island wasn't unified. It wasn't enough. There was a drive, determined and nagging to get more done. But she sighed, leaning against the balconies railing. It was something.

But no smile came to her features, instead her brows furrowed as she looked down, and bit back her frustration.

"I guess we could have the wedding down that way.." She muttered, and shrugged.

*

"It is not safe, which is why you should go see Doctor Ryan," grumbles Magneto, turning to look at Lorna. "Let her take some test, let me talk with her, I know more about magnokinetics than anyone in the world. We will come up with solutions."

Then he turns his eyes back on the city. "I told you to look. Do not limit yourself to your eyes. Use all your senses. There is more than it seems here." And if she does, she can see the steel structure of the buildings. There is an uncanny symmetry there. And the foundations go deep, deeper even than the buildings are tall. Able to take the largest earthquakes. Full of steel and… energy fields.

It is not just a city, it is a weapon. Or perhaps a trap. "Yes. Zealot's empathic influence can no longer touch this area. The people here is safe. Shielded. Soon we will have all Hammer Bay covered. Zealot needs to strike soon or he will lose the whole city."

*

Lorna sighed, her lips pursing together briefly as her shoulders dropped. "Fine, but you train me. I've been sparring with the Acolytes and it's been fine." She pressed a hand to her stomach, the small curve only visible beneath her shirt. "I can feel it, magnetically speaking.." She muttered, and glanced at her father. "I promise I'll lay off, if I feel something wrong, but I can't just stand around here doing odds and ends. I'm not that type of person."

His words had her glancing downwards, her attention snared as he told her to use all of her senses. She closed her eyes, exhaling a breath as she leaned against the railing. It took her longer than usual, to weave her mind beyond her father's presence to the city. When she did.. her brows shot upwards, her eyes snapping open to glance at her father.

"But how? He can't he control the steel if it comes from the island?"

*

Magneto snorts. "He can tap on the morphic field, nothing more," he begins. "Not just of Genosha, of course. He is insane, Lorna. His statements of being 'Genosha incarnate' are ridiculous. He could tap into the morphic fiend of America if he moved there and lived on the continent for a year or two. Or at least in the field of a large area of America. That power is merely part of his mutant abilities. As people and objects are brought to the island they slowly become part of the morphic field too. It will even happen to me if I stay long enough. And this is why Zealot instinctively hates foreigners."

He gestures to the buildings. "But the morphic field can be disrupted. Like this. He can't adapt quick enough. We will force him into the open or we will render him useless."

*

A blink, and then another as Lorna considered her father and slowly nodded. "Oh. I wasn't sure if it was some sort of empathetic connection to the island or something else entirely." She murmured, "I just know he flung this mass of.. I dunno.. emotions or pain or something at me and I blacked out." She shrugged and leaned her arms flat against the railing, her chin settling against them as she stared out at the rebuilt buildings around them.

She fell silent for a long time, and then glanced at her father out of the corner of her eye. The green haired woman watched him for a long moment, her brows furrowing. She looked as if she'd ask something more. Something else and then thought better of it, looking back outwards to the city.

*

Magneto is content with just watching his domains in silence for a minute. Buildings are weapons. He could have been more subtle, maybe built a machine in a secret location to disrupt Zealot’s power at a critical moment. But this way is bolder, it makes a statement, and it allows the Genoshans and the immigrants to see progress is being made in the reconstruction.

"Aquaman never attacked the northern coast," he says, talking more quietly. "I suppose all his posturing and boasts were nothing but a show for his subjects. At least Namor would have personally destroyed a few Sentinels." He looks at the eastern ocean in irritated disapproval. "But now we have another American superhero visiting us, don't we? Stark."

*

Lorna remained still in the brief silence that settled between them. It was comfortable, one that she didn't necessarily feel the need to fill. Though she had plenty of things she'd wanted to say. Thing she'd wanted to ask but never did. The wind swept over them, a nice tropical breeze. It was lovely weather out, even for the time of day.

Of course then her father was speaking of the various heroes that had come to visit recently, and she rolled her eyes. "Maybe he's planning to, maybe he isn't. So long as he's directed, he could be a useful ally." She muttered and pushed off the railing, the mention of Stark had her rolling her eyes.

"I didn't invite him, seems Pietro and Wanda broke into his home and told him there was Stark tech here, killing mutates. He came looking. I figured you'd prefer him directed at a better target than have him wander the island."

*

There are few things that make Magneto amused, but knowing Wanda and Pietro manipulated Tony Stark to come to Genosha draws and brief chuckle out of his throat. "It adds more fire to an already volatile situation. But if American superheroes come to Genosha to fight the Sentinels I am sure Doctor Huxley will spin a good story for the foreign press."

He returns inside, leaving the balcony doors open, "Would you handle it? I am sure there are some Starktech weapons in the arsenals under our control. Tell that armored buffoon we can return them to him for the equivalent value in non-war technology. Talk to Phillip Moreau and find out what goods Stark can provide we might need for civilian use. I am sure he will find a way around the embargo to get hold of those old weapons."

*

Lorna blinked, not expecting her father's amusement, much less the chuckle that followed. She so rarely, if ever, in her memory could think of a time she'd heard him laugh. Still, she followed him inside, her brows furrowing faintly as he told her to continue to handle Stark. Joy. "I'll speak to Phillip about what we could get and what's worth it. Can you look at the drone he gave me? Make sure he's not watching or listening on the other end at all hours? He said that it could contact him as needed." She murmured and gestured to the box.

A sigh followed as Lorna pursed her lips together faintly. "You never said whether or not you'd train me."

*

"Of course I will train you," replies Magneto. Within whatever time he can scavenge here and there. It probably means he will sleep even less. But that Lorna asked is a great triumph in his mind. "Give the drone to the Acolyte Francisco Milan, let him study the device with his technopathy and give us a report." He heads deeper into the suit. "Are you hungry? I believe I will have some dinner now."

*

Lorna smiled faintly, if she thought about it, her father had offered to train her before. Before she knew she had a kid on the way. Before she'd become determined to make Genosha work. To make it her home. Before when this was just an excuse to confront her father for his abandonment and be on her way after throwing wrenches into his plans.

Funny how her priorities had changed.

Still, as her father mentioned the Acolyte she nodded, committing the name to memory and continued to trail after her father into the suit. His offer of dinner, had her smile widening slightly. "Yeah, that sounds pretty good actually. No cheese though, or spicy peppers, or heavy cream please. The kiddo doesn't apparently like any of that." What an oddly normal sounding conversation between them. It was strange. But then, her life always had been.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License