Tropic of Capricorn: Captured and Betrayed

[x-adrienne.livejournal.com]

Garrison is detained by the Brotherhood while Adrienne joins their ranks to become a citizen of Avalon.

"That is quite far enough, Mr. Kane. I must say, I'm disappointed in you. Not surprised, but disappointed." They both looked up in alarm as Magneto came gliding into the room, buoyed atop a magnetic repulsor field.

"Get behind me, Adri." Garrison said. He may have been wearing a stupid t-shirt with an octopus on it and a pair of beach shorts, but menace poured off the Canadian. This wasn't just a crime; it was the beginning stages of a holocaust, and a hundred Magnetos wouldn't have deterred him. "Making nukes, Erik? Yeah, I can see just how fucking reformed you are."

"Don't be naive, Mr. Kane. You believe the nations of this planet would accept a mutant state? These bombs are an insurance policy; a game of Russian Roulette writ large. Attack us, and it might be one of your cities that goes up in flames. Or one of your allies cities. I will not allow our race to be held hostage by evolutionary throwbacks."

"Couldn't give less of a shit, you psychopath. The one you were thinking of putting under Toronto is the one I'm going to shove up your ass."

"He could do it, too," Adrienne said in a warning tone to Erik. She wasn't exactly standing behind Kane, though; in fact, she hadn't moved at all despite his telling her to. "He's really, really passionate about defending Toronto's baseball team."

"I have met Mr. Kane on the field of battle before. It didn't end to your advantage then. Why do you think now would be any different?"

"There's the murderer I was waiting to see."

"On the contrary, if I was still the man you believe I am, I will simply rip the iron from your blood, exsanguinating you in what I'm told is an extremely painful fashion. I have only used it once, but the victim had been a camp guard noted for his sadism; a rather impressive feat considering his company." The menace was there, but modulated. "But I have no wish to kill another mutant if I don't have to. As for the nuclear device, consider it a temporary insurance policy."

"Planning to hold whole cities hostage?"

"In a manner of speaking. From Avalon, especially with my amplifier working, I can sink entire navies sent against me. Send nuclear tipped ICBMs back to their owners. And I will be forced to do just that once Avalon is revealed to the world. Can you imagine the devastation? You might think I'm a monster, but I have no desire to wage war on the scale that will be aimed at us."

"So if you don't wish to kill him, what do you wish to do with him?" Adrienne asked Erik, hoping Garrison wouldn't hate her too much for the use of the singular instead of the plural. She saw an advantage to be had in playing nice with Erik, so she didn't want to bring about his dissatisfaction the way Garrison was clearly doing... even though part of her hated the other part for making it seem like she was turning on Garrison. "Because you know he isn't going to rest until he puts a stop to this... insurance policy of yours."

"The simplest solution would be for poor Mr Kane to have tragically not survived the wreck of his vessel. But, I do not consider that necessary at this juncture. Mr Kane, I'm afraid you will be spending some time with us as an unwilling guest. Once my devices are in place, you will be released in a neutral location to make your way home." Magneto said, his gaze switching smoothly between Kane and Adrienne. "My threat will force the nations of the world to reconsider any rash response. Quickly enough, I expect that to turn into resigned acceptance of our existence here."

"And if not?"

"I imagine they will find themselves at the wrong end of public opinion once the first million or so die."

Adrienne struggled not to visibly cringe at Erik's comment, standing silently and still though her mind was reeling. "Where are you going to release him? What sort of neutral location?" she inquired, though she couldn't quite look at either man when she asked it.

"Ms Frost, you can be assured that I will make the appropriate arrangements when the time comes. As for you, Mr Kane, will you come quietly, or should I call in the Brotherhood, who are waiting just beyond that door to subdue you? It is entirely your choice."

"What about Adrienne?"

"A fair question. Ms Frost, what about Adrienne indeed? We can certainly place you in an adjoining cell, but it strikes me that you may not share your partner's viewpoint entirely."

The brunette had never wanted telepathic powers as badly as she did now. It didn't help that she was standing beside Garrison, across from Erik, so she couldn't even give Garrison some sort of sign regarding what she was about to do. She didn't trust Erik not to figure out some sort of verbal cue, either. She just had to hope Garrison would understand why she did it. "So what if I don't?" she responded cautiously. "Are you saying you'd let me... stay here? Join Avalon?"

"Avalon is a refuge, my dear. If you wish to stay, agree to abide by our rules, your mutant heritage assures you a place."

"You can't seriously think for a second she'd-"

"Okay," Adrienne interrupted. As much as she'd normally love to have Garrison defend her and point out that she'd never do something like join creepy Erik's community, she felt it was the best chance they had at getting free of this. She would play along, wait for a moment to get away, get Garrison out of being an 'unwilling guest', and figure out how to get the fuck out of here. "Okay, yes. I want to stay," she nodded.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Kane rounded on her angrily. "He's talking about putting a gun to the heads of innocent people if they don't give him what he wants."

Adrienne barely held back the physical manifestation of the wince she instantly felt at Garrison's tone. She wanted desperately to give him some sort of sign that she knew what she was doing, that he just had to trust her, but they were within Erik's view, so she didn't dare. "I have to think about what's best for myself, and this is it," she told him, hating herself for saying it. That was all she said, however, and she had to hope that maybe, just maybe, her brevity on the subject would tip Garrison off. He knew how mouthy she was, obviously. He knew she didn't shut up when she had something she really believed in to talk about. So if she'd really felt the way she said she did, she should have gone on and on about all the instances that had led to this choice, right? All the kidnappings, every bad experience at Xavier's, everything she'd been through with the Hellfire Club. Instead, she kept her explanation to just the one line.

"I'm afraid that your domestic disagreement is going to have to wait for another time, Mr Kane." Erik motioned, and the Kleinstocks and Frenzy came in to collect Garrison. "As promised, Ms Frost, Mr Kane will merely be detained, and you are welcome to visit him. If you choose to travel back to Xavier's once our bombs are placed, you will be welcome to come and go at your leisure. Perhaps others might follow your example."

"Yeah, I'll fashion myself as the next great shepherdess of men, a shining example leading people to enlightenment about the future new world you're delivering to them," Adrienne said with as much enthusiasm as she could drum up, already trying to plan her next move as she watched Garrison being taken away.