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Summary: Magneto ruins Jono's plan to enjoy the rain. Brian ruins Rashmi's plan to sow sunshine and rainbows. Magneto and Brian plan.
Date: March 23, 2010
Log Title The Best Laid Plans
Rating: PG
Xavier Institute - Quad
Location description, if any, goes here.
It's raining. Not only that, but it's fairly late. And yet a certain Brit named Jonothon is standing out in that rain. Not that he's getting wet thanks to the psy-fire wrapped around him, but that's exactly why he stopped. Realized that he didn't need to get wet as he crossed the courtyard. Then in wrapping himself in luminescent telekinetic field, he found that it was kind of neat to watch and hear it hit the field. Not to mention that he can feel the droplets pattering. So he is not in fact sulking in the rain, but watching it with a little bit of wonder.
Stand out like a sore thumb too. The TK field is a lazily spiraling area of fire. In being dark, well, yeah. Even in the lighting of the school, he stands out.
At the door to the dorm lobby, a white umbrella pops into existence, swinging vertical to reveal a curious, if slightly wan, face framed in bright coppery red hair. "Jono?" the girl calls, slipping out and slowly approaching the flame-wreathed Brit. "…what are you doing?"
Overhead, Magneto has let some things loose and is in the process of letting them collect the attention they require. This will take a few minutes, so he looks around at the rainy night and… oh, look. Psyfire. He knows that signature. Must take a closer look….
His name called, Jonothon looks over his shoulder to Rashmi, but then turns. Uh, kind of embarrassed. «Hullo, gel.» Hi, Rashmi! Can we pretend that you didn't see this? No? Damn. «Trying not to get wet?» It's a little sheepish, but he can't even begin to try and explain it. «Seem to be doing rather well at it too.» A pointed look up as the rain washes off him. «What are you doing out so late, gel? You alright?» Rashmi seems pale, but that could be the lighting here in the quad. As she nears, he lifts a hand and the fire spreads out some to cover her too. There, no rain on Rashmi!
More properly lit by the psy-fire, nope, she's paler than usual. "…Well, mostly wondering why you were lighting yourself on fire out in the rain…?" The redhead shrugs, though a smile is pulled from her as a canopy of psychic flame forms above her umbrella. "I'm doing… better. I'm tired less, at least… Dr. Williams says I may be able to make the weekend Danger Room session at this rate."
"And why can you not make the current session, Miss Eep?" Magneto drifts down to hover a couple of inches off the ground. He looks toward Jonothon and smiles—all teeth, no mirth. "Starsmore. I see you woke up."
«Because I can't turn off the effects.» Jonothon can only shrug about that. «I do anything like this and it becomes showy.» Not pleased with it, but he's learning. Eyes her as she admits she might be able to attend practice on Sat. «Rashmi, you look like someone bled you dry, which is fairly close to what happened. That takes weeks to recover from…» And then Magneto is there. Brilliant. Jono schools his expression and simply doesn't reply. Why bother when he already knows Magneto can't hear him. Although, as an aside to Rashmi, he simply has to ask, «Miss Eep?» That the new superhero name, Rashmi?
Rashmi freezes briefly, as *that* voice rings out from the skies. ….Of course. It would be *Magneto* of all people to inquire after her schedule changes. Schooling her features (poorly) into a look of attentive innocence, and not at all shivering terror, she turns, attenpting a smile. "Blood loss, sir," she chirps, barely even stuttering this time. "The Doctor felt it would be a bad idea for me to try the obstacle course while I'm a quart low, sir…" Eyes flick to Jono, and she gives one of those 'I'll tell you when he's gone?' shrugs.
Magneto lets himself settle to the wet ground and, uncharacteristically, he pulls off the helmet. Beneath it, he is looking attentive. "Blood loss. How unfortunate. Is this yet another incident to lay at Sinister's feet?"
He does give Jonothon a smirking look, but he's far more interested in the redhead. For now, anyway.
Jonothon isn't any more comfortable with Magneto's arrival, and it shows in the psy-fire. Not an aggressive manner, but certainly wary and defensive. It begins coiling around Rashmi in a protective manner. The stuff is always moving though, so perhaps that's just a part of it? Accepting that Rashmi will tell later, he is a bit surprised that the helmet comes off. Drat, no teasing remarks about Rashmi catching Magneto's eye where Mags can't hear them. Quiet until that look, the Brit does offer, «Thank you for returning me to the school, sir.» Even though it was a pretty lousy situation. Jono believes Magneto could have killed him, but didn't. Other than the thanking, he lets the two talk.
Rashmi nods, blinking as the psyfire coils around her, but doesn't comment. "Er… yes, sir… indirectly, at least. I, um… I'd honestly be more upset about Skyler, though… since, y'know, now he has to look like Sinister, only younger, and can't seem to change it for long…" For her own part, she sidles a bit closer to the Brit, eyes falling away from Magneto's piercing gaze.
"I do not believe I have met young Skyler. I do believe that I should, now." Magneto's expression is amused on the surface, but only there; beneath, there's a coldness that almost radiates.
Then he turns to Jonothon and a (slightly) warmer smile appears. "My pleasure, Mr. Starsmore. Between Sinister and yourself, the day wasn't wasted."
With a slight nod, the Brit gives a little more information than Rashmi did, «Sinister sent the changed students on what seems like a suicide run at the school.» That's how Jonothon sees it anyway. «All have been set to rights.» Rather like himself. And yes, he's far more polite than Jon ever was. No, Jono just thinks all the nasty things and keeps them to himself. Pointedly doesn't say anything about the day being wasted. Privately to Rashmi, he notes, «This bloke is completely insane.» Totally should have stopped Magneto's heart that day. Damn his not wanting to kill.
Rashmi, not being inclined toward telepathy, merely nods to Magneto's views on the day not being wasted. "Um, sir… Please be kind to Skyler, please…? Just, he's sort of taking it really hard… especially since he did a whole lot of terrible things when Sinister had him, and now he can't look in a mirror without being reminded… …sir."
Magneto regards Rashmi carefully for a long moment. "I can promise not to kill him if he doesn't try to kill me. Mr. Starsmore," Jonothon gets the helmet waved at him, "can attest that sometimes, I try not to kill even when someone clearly is trying to kill me. I shall leave it up to you to decide what that might mean." And then to Jonothon, "Everything set to rights? I think, based on Miss Franklin's color, that you are stretching the truth just a bit. However, what I cannot decide is whether you are stretching it for your sake… or mine."
Jonothon can only shake his head at Magneto to start. The psy-fire is restless and uncomfortable as it circles both him and Rashmi. «I wasn't trying to kill you.» He disagrees. «Even with what Sinister did I wouldn't kill anyone.» Could have been a lot worse, but he never let it become so. And as for setting to rights, he rolls his eyes. «That happened after the attack. String of events, mate. Wasn't anywhere near as bad as it could have been. People got hurt, but no one was killed. Those who were reprogrammed were set to rights.» And he's not stretching anything here. No point to.
Rashmi nods once, agreeing but unwilling to do *too* much to potentially annoy Magneto. "It was Daisuke who'd stabbed me during the attack, sir… but when Addison pulled his mind out of it, Daisuke was the one to make sure I got to Medical in time. Honestly… I'm happy enough to call that even, sir, and not borrow trouble."
"For someone who wasn't trying to kill me, you did a rather good job of convincing me otherwise," Magneto snaps at Jonothon. He recalls very clearly what Jonothon tried to do to his entrails. He trusts Jonothon remembers what Magneto did back.
As for Rashmi… "I believe this Daisuke was responsible for more than one stabbing. Sinister may have chosen him for just that reason." Not that he believes that.
The Brit can only spreads his hands in a helpless manner at Magneto. There's no pride in what happened, and quite the opposite. «I could have gone for your brain or heart. I didn't. Just like I didn't want to you to let me go.» Instead Jonothon went for something merely painful. Something to make Magneto angry. «You were the only one who who could have stopped me.» Hands drop as Magneto claims Daisuke was picked because he could murder. «Sir, is it really necessary to insult like this? Sinister reprogrammed all of us telepathically. I could fight it because I am a telepath, but the others couldn't. Please don't blame them. This is hard enough on them as it stands.» Not sounding angry here. Disappointed maybe. In Magneto. «Rashmi is right. Let's not borrow trouble.»
"It's all right, Jono," Rashmi says quietly. "It's not like you can tell a fence could fall over unless you kick it a few… dozen times… hard…" The blush that her runaway mouth brings to her cheeks, with her half-bloodless expression, manages to achieve something close to parity. "…*Any*way, sir, that's not like Daisuke. I don't think I could believe it of him unless he did it right in front of me, without Sinister's programming messing up his head."
Magneto gives Jonothon a considering look. "I didn't say he chose to stabe, Mr. Starsmore. I said that he could. Sinister regards people as tools… and Daisuke's ability is part of what made him a good tool for this … incident."
He does nod to Rashmi. "I don't doubt that it is not like him. That is why Sinister is what he is."
After looking at the damage he did, Brian took a moment to look in the Japanese Gardens. Before he moved on to the Quad. His hands glowing from the deep red energy they are made of. And then he notices the three people gathered, looking a mixture of aggravated, ashamed, and helpless. His crimson glowing irises looking the three over. The mutant formerly known as Impulse just stands there, turning slightly away as if he's going to go on his way.
Sorry, that so has Jonothon laughing. Not that it's a loud thing, but it shows. He struggles not to smile, and the psy-fire shifts from its agitated and protective state. It hasn't stopped circling both him and Rashmi, but it's so clear he's laughing. A brief thing, for Magneto shouldn't be laughed at. «He picked us all because of how useful he thought we would be.» Bitter that, and a shrug shows he's dealing. «The hack should have done some research before hand.» Dealing, if angry. Not taking it out on others though. Sinister picked badly when he chose Jonothon. Worst Marauder ever, and all because Jono kept breaking the programming. The Brit is wrapped in glowing Psy-fire to keep off the rain that's falling. He's protecting Rashmi with it too. Very noticeable. The tilt of his head and he looks across the quad, but doesn't say anything.
The laughing, only serving to push Rashmi's cheeks further toward an actual blush. Embarrassed, she looks away, and it's easy to tell when she's spotted Brian; she simply lights up, beaming a smile at the downtrodden X-er and even lifting her hand in greeting.
Magneto did not notice Brian, not when he first appeared nor when Jonothon noticed him. He does notice Rashmi's reaction, however, and turns to give the newcomer a searching look. "Well. There are students out and about all over tonight," he says, and he raises a hand—come here. "Introduce yourself, young man. Have we met yet?"
Jonothon shrugs, «Kids at the X-Mansion.» But there's amusement in it. Of course they are out late. Since the man doesn't know Brian well he says nothing, but he's very aware of Rashmi's reaction.
Brian looks back to the three, raising up a hand to waist height to greet Rashmi, then coming slowly down. He spies Magneto and starts to walk towards them. His torso is bandaged, which may be seen as added bulk under his shirt. Slightly past his wrists is where the glowing energy ends and the flesh and blood begins. "Brian Carerra." He says, still proud of his name at least.
Rashmi bobs her head as Brian introduces himself, altogether pleased with herself to see another of Sinister's thralls back to himself. "It's *really* good to have you back, Mr. Carerra… I was hoping to see you, so I could tell you so."
Magneto nods a greeting to Brian. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Carrera. I am Magneto." There are people on the planet who don't know who he is. He's met several on this campus, which always amuses him. "So you, too, were victim to Sinister?" He reaches up into the air and something goes *whizz! smack!* into the palm of his hand. He tucks whatever it is into his belt. "I do hope you are recovering well."
Eyeing Magneto's action, the Brit decides he's had to much of this. Looking to Rashmi, he makes sure her umbrella is still open. If it isn't he nudges it to remind her of it. «I've got to go inside. You shouldn't stay up, gel.» Magneto is given a loot too, but it's guarded. Don't hurt Miss Eep! «Good night, sir.» Yes, he is very much trying to be polite around the mad man. «Cheers.» Given to everyone. Jonothon takes his glowing aura of fire with him as he returns to the main house.
Brian gives Magneto a firm nod. "You almost don't need an introduction." He says, having spent most of his sophomore, junior, and senior years studying the declassified mission reports and recreations in the Danger Room. They definitely included the instances with the Brotherhood. "It's…different from the last time." He says, not to mention the time before that as well.
Rashmi turns to watch Jono leave, nodding her understanding of his admonition. "Good night, Jono!" Turning, she blinks, looking back and forth between the X-Forcer, and Magneto. ….Suddenly feeling quite out of her depth.
Magneto watches Jonothon go. "Good night, Mr. Starsmore." His eyes are narrowed and his expression tense, but that dissipates as he turns back to the two still standing with him. "Would you prefer to go inside, Miss Franklin? The rain cannot be good for your recovery." He brushes his own wet hair off his forehead, then looks at Brian. "And what might you be doing out in the wet, Mr. Carrera? Just an affinity for nature?"
"An indifference to being moist. I can hardly feel it anymore." He says, not to mention that other thing that happens should he come into contact. Brian's hair is just wet, as if he got out of the shower just now. He really doesn't care about being wet, just that he can still feel it. "Looking, making sure what I had thought happened actually happened." He himself is still mentally messed up. Something that Sinister had done inside his mind, just wasn't right.
Rashmi turns back around, nodding slowly at Brian. "It did, Mr. Carerra… I'm sorry… but, you're back now. So everything'll be okay, you know?" The redhead blinks, mentally spooling back the conversation… oh dear. "I-It's okay, Mr. Magneto," she says, spinning to face the imposing mutant. "I'll be going in in a little bit, I promise."
Magneto raises an eyebrow at that 'Mr. Magneto'. "Magneto is fine, Miss Franklin." He lets her blush (or whatever she wants to do with those nerves of hers) and looks back toward Brian. "Are you having… issues, Mr. Carrera? With what happened? I gather this is not the first encounter you have had with Mr. Sinister, which is a true pity. The man is a snake."
Brian says, "Snake, good sir, is one of the biggest understatements I've never heard." Brian offers up to Magneto. "I saw, Rashmi. But I don't think it's going to be okay for me here." He says, he was already slipping thanks to Sinister, with the addition to a modified Death back into his psyche, he's having to fight the constant grim and morbid thoughts he's having. There is still some times that he catches a glimpse of perfectly healthy people replaced with decomposing corpses. "In response to your question, yes." He responds to the Master of Magnetism."
"Oh…" Slightly taken aback by the invitation to drop the 'Mr.', it takes her a moment to realize just how ponderous the salutation is. "Okay, si—" Turning to face Brian, the redhead's brow furrows, the mutant given a decidedly puzzled frown. "What d'you mean? You're back, right? You can get help taking out whatever's left, can't you? So… what's not to be okay?"
Magneto crosses his arms, then uncrosses them. *whizz! smack!* Another flying thing hits a palm, and is tucked into his belt. Then he crosses his arms again. "Are there memories here, Mr. Carrera, that you are having trouble dealing with? Embarassments? Shames? Those are tools Sinister is using against you."
"What are you doing?" Brian asks Magneto. Before turning to Rashmi. "That was the third time I've been taken by him, Rashmi. The /third time/. The first time he just helped me, the second he made me into Death. This time? He took /my hands/ and screwed with my mind." He says as he raises his hands, showing the solid energy that's left in their place. "I have trouble dealing with the sense of normalcy that people are trying to impose. I cannot be the same Brian I was when I got here." He says back to Magneto, sans the emphasis. "I feel different, and this time, I am different."
If Brian had given cancer to a puppy, then kicked it in front of Rashmi, the redhead would probably look more crushed… but it would be a near thing. "I… um… I'm sorry…. just…" Swallowing, she turns to Magneto, bobbing a short curtsy. "I… I should probably go back inside… I'm getting kind of tired…. Good night, sir…"
"Of course you're not the same Brian. You're more." Magneto ignores the question about the flying objects for the moment. "You've grown. You may not be the size you wanted to be, or the shape, but you have become more than you were. Now, you must decide if you are strong enough to be this person, or if this person will crush you." The Master of Magnetism lifts his chin in a challenge on that last sentence.
That chin is still up when he turns to bid Rashmi good night. "Good luck in your recovery, and in your upcoming Danger Room session, Miss Franklin. It has been a pleasure speaking to you, as it always is."
"Dammit. Don't apologize, you barely knew what had happened to me before. That wasn't fair." Brian says, knowing he should feel guilty, but barely feels it. He's just a good actor. "Take it easy, Rashmi." He wants to tell her to not lose that outlook of hers. And then he's left with what Magneto told him. He gives the challenge a thought, and some more thought. "I could have been the next Tony Stark. Without the…dependancy." He says lightly, musing on what he wanted to be. Now to what he is, a genius young man, with hands that can spawn into most any weapon he wants. What can he be now?
Rashmi nods shortly to Brian. "…I'll try… just… oh—damn it…" Turning, she all but flees back toward the house, her braid getting rather soaked as it waves out from under the umbrella's protection. There's a short struggle at the door between umbrella, door, and her own emotions, and finally the door shuts with an audible *bang*… followed by a muted Hindi curse.
Magneto watches Rashmi go. "Charming young lady." He returns his attention to Brian. And he reaches out as *whizz! smack!* yet another flying thing comes to him. "What is stopping you from being the next Stark? Or the first Carrera? Sinister has done his worst by you and you appear," he waves the hand with the thing in it, "relatively all right. You are alive. You have your own mind. And you have some concept of what you do and do not want. That is not a bad place to start."
"Reminds me of myself, or how I used to be." Brian says, before looking back up to Magneto, and what he does with his hand. "Seriously, what is it you're catching?" He says right before he listens to what Magneto says. "I had my own mind, before I was forced to take on new roommates, as it were. So, I pretty much know staying here is just going to get me nowhere."
"You know that, do you? And where would be better for you?" Magneto bounces the item in his hand, then, "Catch." He bounces it at Brian.
And if Brian catches it, or at least gets a good look at it, the thing looks remarkably like a Snitch, except black. It seems to have a couple of antennae and a camera lens, too.
Brian does indeed catch the object. And he takes a good look at it. "A surveillance device?" He asks, more to himself. But he knows enough about technology to know that it is, or at least infer. "Somewhere where I can grow. Here…I'm just the same. Everyday. I've been here since I was fifteen. I'm almost twenty-one."
Magneto says, "That tells me where you've been, Mr. Carrera. Where do you want to go?" He crosses his arms again. "Six years… that's a long time, at your age. At any age."
Brian says, "Anywhere. I want something else. Something more." Brian admits, almost not wanting to admit it to himself. "It may sound dumb, but is there…something…some…place I can fit in with your organization?" Brian asks, there's a sound of heart in that. Realizing there were only two places he could have gone, to throw himself at Stark, possibly lose his dignity. Or find something more adventurous. "It's been too long, I thought I needed time, but I need a new place, I realize that now.""
Magneto's eyes narrow. "My organization…" A smile flickers across his lips. "And what do you mean by 'my organization', Mr. Carrera? I am Magneto. My aims are not…" He waves a hand, indicating the entire Institute.
"Sir, I doubt your aim was to be at this school. Unless you want to have the satisfaction of having the students follow you over Cyclops." Of which he doesn't doubt Magneto would like. "Even then. Your aim was to secure Homo Superior's place at the top of the food chain. With a few exceptions, I don't think that's been done, yet. The only reason I can think of you actually being here more and more is that you had something else in mind. Why else would you have made one appearance for every two years since I've been at this school." Brian had actually been thinking of this since the end of his stint as Death. "So, have you given up on it?" He asks Magneto, directly, gaining even more confidence.
Magneto waves his helmet at the main building. "Mutants will overcome, eventually; we are superior. There is no arguing that. It is more a case of how soon and how many dead we will suffer before we achieve that happy time. THAT is what I fight for." He levels an ice-blue stare at Brian. "Is that what you can fight for, Mr. Carrera? Though it means giving over most, if not all happiness you might otherwise pursue?"
"Not only that, but with these new hands, I can do things that I never thought possible. I know you have a knack for invention, as do I. Like I said, I want to put myself as the next Stark." Then the last bit rings fourth. "Most of my happiness has gone anyway. It was gone when she had died. I saw a glimpse of it in another, but that has changed. Into the very thing that caused so much death and pain before." So in other words, he'd probably be happier.
"I think we can help each other." Magneto does smile, then, very coldly. "I have a number of plans going right now; I do need assistance in several of them. For instance, I believe one of your fellow students may hold information I will find useful; do you know the boy Theodore Fegenbush?"
"Sir, I have no idea of such a boy, physically. I've long since graduated from this place. Close to four years now. Anyway, what would this boy have?" Scourge asks Magneto. "He has a login for the school's intranet. But it only happened just recently. It was something I had on my desk when I checked it today. Guess Beast handled the IT while I was, well, you know."
Magneto nods. "I met him yesterday, and I believe he has information regarding a human … incident in Virginia. The papers, of course, are not reliable, and in any case, I would need better intelligence of the matter than they would ever have the courage to report. You, being here," another wave of the helmet at the mansion, "means that you might find that information out, far swifter than I would."
"It should be known, I have a telepathic link to someone here. I know how to close it off. But with him having…the Phoenix, I may need something to keep that at bay." He informs, before looking back to the mansion. "What kind of human incident?" He asks, if he must try to get information, he should know what it is he's trying to find. "You want straight from his mouth data, or what he tries to find on his computer? Or even anything /on/ the computer he uses?" Oh yes, he knows all those little tricks.
"An entire family died." Starkly said. Magneto is grim about it. "I do not know, at this time, if it was his family, or another; whether he was the target, the perpetrator, or peripheral to the incident. I know it occured between ten days and two weeks ago, in Manassas, Virginia, and that the Friends of Humanity," he all but spits the last three words, "were involved in the incident."
"You think it was an execution." Brian says, having guessed the same thing himself. "So, you want to know what role he has had in this incident. You think he could have used the Friends on his own family?" Either way, Brian's seen enough FoH rallies to fill al lifetime. His tone throughout is calculating, calmed, he's easing back into some kind of twisted way that resembles himself way back when. Back when he would create mysteries just for the fun of it.
"I think that if he had a role, he could be useful in future … confrontations with the so-called Friends. One way or the other." Magneto looks toward the mansion, then back to Brian. Then he holds out his helmet to the young man. "If you go through with this, you will need to keep secrets."
"I understand, the reason why I brought it up in the first place." Then Brian looks to the helmet. I mean /THE/ helmet. One look at it and it's obvious whom it belongs to. "Thank you, sir." He says, reaching out and taking the offered helmet. He gives it a look, always wanting to see it and touch it, that helmet, and of course, Iron Man's. "I'll find out what you want, Magneto."
Magneto's eyes narrow again, pleased this time. "I know you will." He pulls another whizzer out of his belt, removes a memory chip from it, then lets the thing transform in the palm of his hand into something that resembles a cell phone. "To contact me. I warn you; this may pick up transmissions from other units, and give yours to them, as well. I advise caution while using it."
"Acknowledged." He says, looking to the device, and the helmet. He stifles his urge to put the helmet on right in front of Magneto, of course. "Use it to set up a physical meeting then." He says, before taking off his shirt, revealing the scars on his chest and back, and the wrappings holding his current injuries compressed. He has to hide the helmet, of course, lest someone see the tell-tale armor. "Thank you." He says, for so many things.
Magneto nods. "I look forward to our association, Mr. Carrera. I believe we can do great things together." He smiles, and then he is rising into the dark, rainy sky. "Farewell."
