xp_logs | Krypteia: Goodbyes

Before Machado leaves, Angelo and then Nate catch up with her.

When Angelo found her that morning, Mariana Machado was sitting quietly in one of the main floor sitting rooms, overlooking the front of the mansion, where she could see whatever vehicles might come through the front gates. "Mr. Espinosa," she greeted him quietly. She looked like she hadn't slept that well, the last two nights. "My people are coming to get me this morning. I'm just waiting for them."

"After the park", he said quietly, "you can call me Angelo. How are you holding up?"

She essayed a shrug. "It's not the first time my life has been threatened," she said candidly. "The political climate in my country is not always... settled. But it is the first time other people have been hurt because of someone's desire to hurt me."

Angelo stepped further into the room and sat down, working on a helpful response. "I'm sorry that happened in our country. But nobody whose opinion you should listen to would want you to stop."

"It's not a question of stopping," Machado said. "Simply a question of how to continue."

"And what are you thinking is the right way, right now?"

Machado raised an eyebrow at him, although she was smiling faintly. "I don't know. I'll have to give it some thought. I must say, while I appreciate the assistance more than I can express, I'm a bit perturbed by the constant questions. Although your Professor and these representatives of the American government were more concerned with why I thought these children were trying to kill me."

"Sorry", he said, a little abashed. "It's only that if we know that, we might be able to figure out more about who sent them."

"I'm aware of that. But I really have no idea." Her gaze was perfectly steady - and unreadable.

"I thought I knew who it was", Angelo told her, looking equally steadily back. "But that isn't the way she does things. She doesn't send kids, for one thing."

"You never know," came another voice from the open doorway. Nathan was leaning against the doorframe, eyeing both of them. Given that he was still not moving around as well as usual, his absolute silence in sneaking up on them was particularly impressive.

Machado glanced at him, looking taken aback. "I'm sorry?"

"No, I'm sorry," Nathan said. "I'm being rude. Nathan Morrow. One of Angelo's employers."

"Nate, don't do that", Angelo chided, before turning back to Machado. "Nathan's the one who recruited me into Elpis... although actually, I worked for him before it was founded."

"Angelo was there from the start, and will probably be there the day we turn the lights out," Nathan said mildly, his smile very... precise. "One of those alpha to omega types."

And Machado twitched.

Angelo looked between them, eyes narrowing when he saw the look on Nathan's face.

"Okay, old man. What're you playin' at?"

"Being unduly whimsical in my speech, apparently. I know it can be disturbing. Ms. Machado," Nathan said, waiting until the woman made eye contact again. "I'm glad you're all right," he said, and meant it. "You do a lot of good work - you're a good example for the rest of us. I imagine that's why you were targeted."

She gave another one of those not-quite-shrugs. "I'm hardly a prominent figure," she said, apparently regaining her composure. "Not outside my own country."

"But this exhibition was the start of changing that," Nathan pointed out.

"It's like I said on Saturday", Angelo backed him up quietly. "You're for integration. For equality, and there's people out there who'd rather see mutants in ascendance."

"And those of you here are clearly prepared to fight them," Machado said, just as quietly. "I saw enough, upon arriving." There was nothing rude or aggressive in her tone as she went on. Only doubt. "Doesn't that just escalate the problem? Every force has its opposite, yes, but when those opposites collide - then, you see collateral damage." She sighed, her eyes going to the window, where a car was pulling up in front of the mansion. "I have to think on this."

"I'm a big advocate of sorting out your feelings on these issues," Nathan said as she got up.

"We fight when we have to", Angelo agreed. "But we'd like to solve it by talking as much as you would. That's why I work for Elpis as well, and if I had to choose one..."

"Sometimes we don't have the choice," Nathan said. Machado looked at him, very steadily, and he smiled faintly, stepping out of the doorway to allow her to pass.

"Goodbye, Mr. Morrow. Angelo." She graced the younger man with a slight, but more natural smile as she headed for the door. Nathan glanced down the hall, sensing Charles's presence in the lobby, waiting to bid his temporary guest farewell.

"Goodbye, Ms. Machado", Angelo said, returning the smile crookedly but genuinely. "If you come back to America, give us a call in the Elpis office. Maybe we can work together."

She looked back over her shoulder, smiled at him again, if tentatively. Nathan waited until she was gone to look back at Angelo, one eyebrow cocked.

"She's a very nice woman," he said. "Definitely a good person. And definitely hiding something - Charles saw it, too. Damned ethics," he grumbled, looking back in the direction she'd gone.

"You know something", Angelo accused. "What was all that alpha and omega stuff?"

"Tattoo on the dead kid," Nathan said shortly. "The same one I used to have - Mistra's ownership brand, basically. I'm just not sure what it means that it meant something to her, too. Seriously, damned ethics..." But it was true enough that if they pushed too hard, they risked alienating her, and if she knew something they needed to know, they needed to keep those channels open.

"Mistra." Angelo scowled. "You said she's definitely a good person, an' all that means is she's seen it before... maybe this wasn't the first shot they took at her. All she said to me was she's not used to other people gettin' hurt as collateral."

"We'll keep in touch with her. You said she was interested in what Elpis did. Hell, I'll ask Joel to do it." Nathan didn't look in the slightest bit ashamed at what was really a Machiavellian suggestion, coming from him of all people. "Meanwhile," he said, looking back at Angelo, "we've got work to do. Lots and lots of research."

That got a theatrically long-suffering look. "What're we researchin' now? Signs of Mistra?"

"Well," Nathan said, not quite sarcastically, "given that the bulk of the resources of our organization have been going to investigating the use of mutant child soldiers world-wide, one might say we're uniquely suited to work on solving this particular mystery. I'm going to call Tel Aviv and turn everyone loose. It may get messy."

"Yeah, messy might be an understatement. You might want to keep an eye on some of them."

"See, but I encourage initiative..."