X-Men Mission: Exorcism Robotica - Part 5
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xp_logsOlivier makes his escape, with Magneto and Erik the Red hot on his heels.
Olivier roared in frustration and pain as yet another of his corruption spells splashed uselessly against Magneto’s shields. The cloud of particulates had been scouring him with each pass, and sapped his strength more and more. Typically he would use his powers to drill into Magneto’s mind, but something was stopping him. He couldn’t do it with Erik the Red either, despite his control over the man. What was happening?
“I’m afraid this is where your assistance to this project ends.” Magneto held out his hands, and the shining haze he’d been wielding compressed, growing brighter and brighter. It collected into a single spearhead, elegant and deadly, pointed directly at Olivier’s heart. It spat from Magneto’s hands with the force of a rail gun, but just as it reached Olivier, the demon disappeared, leaving the deadly projectile to spend itself in the dirt.
“Blast! He’s-”
“I know where he went.” Erik the Red said quietly. “He’s where we encountered him the first time.”
“Is he?”
“Yes, and if we don’t follow him, the next time Trask is back, he’ll have even stronger weapons for his damn Sentinels.”
Magneto hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Zero, to me. Mystique, continue the attack. Don’t stop until every Sentinel is scrap and this facility is a burning crater. We will return soon.”
A bright portal flared in front of them and the mute white clad mutant stepped out. He never spoke, but he always seemed to know where Magneto wished to go. He stepped through with Erik the Red behind him, stepping in from the Arizona desert to an overcast and rainy day in Los Angeles. Instead of a giant facility, they stood in the parking lot of a club, in the midst of rebuilding. Scaffolding and construction supplies were stacked around the building, in the universal sign of a union break for the workers. The sign in neon said AZTECA in purple lettering.
“It’s isn’t exactly Hieronymus Bosch, but I can accept this as hell.” Magneto said dryly, earning a snort of laughter from Erik the Red. “I suppose the creature has hidden inside.”
“There’s a gateway to his realm. He would have retreated there to heal.”
“Then we drag him out by his throat.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?” Magneto turned to regard his ally with a long look. “You think we should leave him be?”
“No. I just think you’ve done all you can. And all I needed you to.”
“I had expected betrayal at first. Was it just delayed all this time?”
“Not entirely. If you consider what I told you.”
***
Months earlier.
“Kleinstock, put him in the chair.” The bound man was shoved roughly into a surprising elegant metal seat. His vision was blocked by a thick black bag that obscured his features entirely. He started to shift but was slammed back down by the mutant behind him.
“He was outside of our safehouse in San Francisco. They grabbed him before he could pass along any information.” Mystique said, as she stepped forward before the seat where Magneto sat. It wasn’t a throne by any measure, more an executive’s chair cast in steel. But his sheer presence and will transcended the utility of the room into his defacto court.
“Really? I was out front for forty-five minutes. I was starting to run out of battery on my phone, seriously endangering my Candy Crush win streak. Next time I’m getting captured by you guys, I’m bringing a paperback and a sandwich,” the man said. Kleinstock pivoted and delivered a vicious blow to the shrouded head.
“Shut up,” he said, rubbing his knuckles.
“Say, where do you guys get these bags. I mean, no one is looking for all black thick cloth gift bags or for grocery shopping. Is there like a black ops version of Costco that you all shop at for this stuff? Head bags, secret lair furnishings, discounts on poison gas and smoked salmon.” Kleinstock let loose with two more punches, each hitting with a thunderous crack. The figure wavered for a moment and then slumped.
“That was less fruitful than I’d hoped.” Magneto said, and the man’s head jerked up at the sound.
“Is that Magneto? I’m ashamed of you, man. Hiring eight year old girls to beat up prisoners is pretty shameful. I thought you had more class.” Kleinstock reddened and punched him again. “Ah, right. Sorry. Sorry. Seven year old girls.”
“Harlen, that’s enough. Take off the bag.” Magneto said.
“I’m- uh, I’m Sven…” Kleinstock started but trailed off, pulling the bag away and slinking back from the prisoner.
“Now, Garrison Kane, would you care to explain why you felt the need to give yourself up to my people? Or should we just save time and have you quietly executed as a message to Charles and his X-Men.”
“Sure.” Kane spit out a gob of blood. “But I know you’re not going to execute me for no reason. Savior of all mutantkind, even the misguided, right? Or am I dealing with a new Magneto? Because it looks like you found yourself the greatest plastic surgeon in history.”
“No new Magneto, although you will forgive me if I decline to share my secrets with you. What is it you want, X-Man?”
“First of all, the right title. I’m not an X-Man any more.”
“I assumed there was a story explaining this. I am intrigued to hear what kind of fiction you have concocted.”
“I’m not much of a writer, Erik. I’m here because I need your help. An absolute shitstorm is coming for mutants all over the world, and the X-Men are burying their heads in the sand and pretending it doesn’t matter. Once they finally wake up, it’s going to be too late. I know you know who I am. Can you think of any possible reason I’d ever walk away from the X-Men or think others would believe that I did unless it was the truth?” Kane said.
“I’m intrigued. Tell me your story. But I take deception personally, and trying to do so is a good reason to have you executed. Are you sure you wish to go on?”
“The government is in the process of developing a series of anti-mutant hunter robots called Sentinels. The idea and prototypes have been floating around for years, but they finally got buy-in from the Administration and the Pentagon to develop it in DARPA facilities.” Kane said, enjoying momentarily the ripple of shock that went through the room. “We got hold of information about it, but instead of following up, Xavier personally told us to stand down until we had more evidence. He didn’t want us risking our relationships with SHIELD and the President.”
“Poor, safe, cautious, deluded Charles. That has a ring of truth to it, at least. So tell me, how does that bring you here?”
“I said I wasn’t going to sit on it. If they didn’t take steps, I’d release it through Department H if I had to in order to start an investigation. They told me that I was right, and they needed a bit of time to put together the next steps. However, four days ago, we deployed on a mission in Los Angeles against an extra-dimensional demonic threat. When he released the equivalent of a magical nuke on us, every other X-Man was either outside of the range or able to be protected from the blast… except for me.” Anger burned through his features. “They didn’t even bother to search the combat zone before deciding I was dead and gone. Grey, Summers, possibly a couple of others specifically sacrificed me in order to make Xavier’s problem go away.”
“An extreme reaction for the both of them, from what we know.”
“Don’t doubt the level of Xavier’s conditioning. They likely think it was for the greater good. But it doesn’t matter.” Kane shook his head. “I don’t care about revenge or any of that. These Sentinels are the greatest threat to mutants that has ever existed. If they started to mass produce them, it’s only a matter of time before they move from law enforcement to proactive hunting. Camps. Experimentation. You of all people know where this leads. Especially once they start selling them to their allies. Kill me, lock me up, I don’t fucking care. But you have to take the information I have and act on it. Shut this program down before it’s too late.”
Magneto was silent for a long time, starting at Kane levelly. Finally, he nodded. “Very well. Mystique, debrief Mr Kane. Find out all his information about these Sentinels. Also, how he came here. We will check everything very carefully. And, if any part turns out to be a lie, or at any point we have any reason to suspect you haven’t told us the truth, you will be swiftly executed. Are you sure you wish to continue?”
“Check whatever you want. I’m not lying. All I want is the Sentinel project stopped. If you want my help, you have it, no matter who gets in the way. But if you want to stick me in a cell, that’s fine too so long as you shut these things down.”
***
Now
“I told you the truth about the Sentinels. That the X-Men weren’t in a position to act and that only you could shut it down. That was all true. Without you and the Brotherhood, there’s no way we could have forced Trask and his program out of the Pentagon, set up his AIM facility to be destroyed and sent Olivier back to his realm for now. But now, your part of this is over.”
“And why shouldn’t I simply kill you now before finishing off the demon?”
“He can’t be defeated in his realm. Not by any normal means. You go in there, and he’ll take control of your mind, like he thought he did with mine. You’ll be his creature for the rest of your life, taking all the power you currently focus on mutants for his own ends.” Kane said. “We might be enemies, but I don’t think you deserve that fate. Only my people can finish off Olivier for good.”
“As if I could believe that.”
“It’s up to you. Here’s what I do know. You crushed the Sentinels for months, even years as a threat. When I take care of Olivier, that’s hundreds or thousands of mutants who won’t be threatened by him ever again. And while the X-Men are currently ambushing your Brotherhood at the facility, their focus will be on destroying the building, so most of your people should be able to escape.” Kane said. “For a betrayal, you got a lot of your goals accomplished for a relatively minor cost.”
Magneto was silent. He closed his eyes for a moment, utilizing his comms and shook his head. “Your X-Men are indeed at the battle site. I’ve told my Brotherhood to withdraw. It was a masterful ploy, Kane, but I hope it was worth it for you.”
“You know me, Erik. I’ll do what it takes.”
“The motto of many a dead man.” His eyes flickered over to the glow that sprung up in the parking lot. “I see the rest of your forces.”
“Go Erik. You did legitimate good today. There’s no need for another fight.”
“But that is where you are wrong.”
Olivier roared in frustration and pain as yet another of his corruption spells splashed uselessly against Magneto’s shields. The cloud of particulates had been scouring him with each pass, and sapped his strength more and more. Typically he would use his powers to drill into Magneto’s mind, but something was stopping him. He couldn’t do it with Erik the Red either, despite his control over the man. What was happening?
“I’m afraid this is where your assistance to this project ends.” Magneto held out his hands, and the shining haze he’d been wielding compressed, growing brighter and brighter. It collected into a single spearhead, elegant and deadly, pointed directly at Olivier’s heart. It spat from Magneto’s hands with the force of a rail gun, but just as it reached Olivier, the demon disappeared, leaving the deadly projectile to spend itself in the dirt.
“Blast! He’s-”
“I know where he went.” Erik the Red said quietly. “He’s where we encountered him the first time.”
“Is he?”
“Yes, and if we don’t follow him, the next time Trask is back, he’ll have even stronger weapons for his damn Sentinels.”
Magneto hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Zero, to me. Mystique, continue the attack. Don’t stop until every Sentinel is scrap and this facility is a burning crater. We will return soon.”
A bright portal flared in front of them and the mute white clad mutant stepped out. He never spoke, but he always seemed to know where Magneto wished to go. He stepped through with Erik the Red behind him, stepping in from the Arizona desert to an overcast and rainy day in Los Angeles. Instead of a giant facility, they stood in the parking lot of a club, in the midst of rebuilding. Scaffolding and construction supplies were stacked around the building, in the universal sign of a union break for the workers. The sign in neon said AZTECA in purple lettering.
“It’s isn’t exactly Hieronymus Bosch, but I can accept this as hell.” Magneto said dryly, earning a snort of laughter from Erik the Red. “I suppose the creature has hidden inside.”
“There’s a gateway to his realm. He would have retreated there to heal.”
“Then we drag him out by his throat.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?” Magneto turned to regard his ally with a long look. “You think we should leave him be?”
“No. I just think you’ve done all you can. And all I needed you to.”
“I had expected betrayal at first. Was it just delayed all this time?”
“Not entirely. If you consider what I told you.”
***
Months earlier.
“Kleinstock, put him in the chair.” The bound man was shoved roughly into a surprising elegant metal seat. His vision was blocked by a thick black bag that obscured his features entirely. He started to shift but was slammed back down by the mutant behind him.
“He was outside of our safehouse in San Francisco. They grabbed him before he could pass along any information.” Mystique said, as she stepped forward before the seat where Magneto sat. It wasn’t a throne by any measure, more an executive’s chair cast in steel. But his sheer presence and will transcended the utility of the room into his defacto court.
“Really? I was out front for forty-five minutes. I was starting to run out of battery on my phone, seriously endangering my Candy Crush win streak. Next time I’m getting captured by you guys, I’m bringing a paperback and a sandwich,” the man said. Kleinstock pivoted and delivered a vicious blow to the shrouded head.
“Shut up,” he said, rubbing his knuckles.
“Say, where do you guys get these bags. I mean, no one is looking for all black thick cloth gift bags or for grocery shopping. Is there like a black ops version of Costco that you all shop at for this stuff? Head bags, secret lair furnishings, discounts on poison gas and smoked salmon.” Kleinstock let loose with two more punches, each hitting with a thunderous crack. The figure wavered for a moment and then slumped.
“That was less fruitful than I’d hoped.” Magneto said, and the man’s head jerked up at the sound.
“Is that Magneto? I’m ashamed of you, man. Hiring eight year old girls to beat up prisoners is pretty shameful. I thought you had more class.” Kleinstock reddened and punched him again. “Ah, right. Sorry. Sorry. Seven year old girls.”
“Harlen, that’s enough. Take off the bag.” Magneto said.
“I’m- uh, I’m Sven…” Kleinstock started but trailed off, pulling the bag away and slinking back from the prisoner.
“Now, Garrison Kane, would you care to explain why you felt the need to give yourself up to my people? Or should we just save time and have you quietly executed as a message to Charles and his X-Men.”
“Sure.” Kane spit out a gob of blood. “But I know you’re not going to execute me for no reason. Savior of all mutantkind, even the misguided, right? Or am I dealing with a new Magneto? Because it looks like you found yourself the greatest plastic surgeon in history.”
“No new Magneto, although you will forgive me if I decline to share my secrets with you. What is it you want, X-Man?”
“First of all, the right title. I’m not an X-Man any more.”
“I assumed there was a story explaining this. I am intrigued to hear what kind of fiction you have concocted.”
“I’m not much of a writer, Erik. I’m here because I need your help. An absolute shitstorm is coming for mutants all over the world, and the X-Men are burying their heads in the sand and pretending it doesn’t matter. Once they finally wake up, it’s going to be too late. I know you know who I am. Can you think of any possible reason I’d ever walk away from the X-Men or think others would believe that I did unless it was the truth?” Kane said.
“I’m intrigued. Tell me your story. But I take deception personally, and trying to do so is a good reason to have you executed. Are you sure you wish to go on?”
“The government is in the process of developing a series of anti-mutant hunter robots called Sentinels. The idea and prototypes have been floating around for years, but they finally got buy-in from the Administration and the Pentagon to develop it in DARPA facilities.” Kane said, enjoying momentarily the ripple of shock that went through the room. “We got hold of information about it, but instead of following up, Xavier personally told us to stand down until we had more evidence. He didn’t want us risking our relationships with SHIELD and the President.”
“Poor, safe, cautious, deluded Charles. That has a ring of truth to it, at least. So tell me, how does that bring you here?”
“I said I wasn’t going to sit on it. If they didn’t take steps, I’d release it through Department H if I had to in order to start an investigation. They told me that I was right, and they needed a bit of time to put together the next steps. However, four days ago, we deployed on a mission in Los Angeles against an extra-dimensional demonic threat. When he released the equivalent of a magical nuke on us, every other X-Man was either outside of the range or able to be protected from the blast… except for me.” Anger burned through his features. “They didn’t even bother to search the combat zone before deciding I was dead and gone. Grey, Summers, possibly a couple of others specifically sacrificed me in order to make Xavier’s problem go away.”
“An extreme reaction for the both of them, from what we know.”
“Don’t doubt the level of Xavier’s conditioning. They likely think it was for the greater good. But it doesn’t matter.” Kane shook his head. “I don’t care about revenge or any of that. These Sentinels are the greatest threat to mutants that has ever existed. If they started to mass produce them, it’s only a matter of time before they move from law enforcement to proactive hunting. Camps. Experimentation. You of all people know where this leads. Especially once they start selling them to their allies. Kill me, lock me up, I don’t fucking care. But you have to take the information I have and act on it. Shut this program down before it’s too late.”
Magneto was silent for a long time, starting at Kane levelly. Finally, he nodded. “Very well. Mystique, debrief Mr Kane. Find out all his information about these Sentinels. Also, how he came here. We will check everything very carefully. And, if any part turns out to be a lie, or at any point we have any reason to suspect you haven’t told us the truth, you will be swiftly executed. Are you sure you wish to continue?”
“Check whatever you want. I’m not lying. All I want is the Sentinel project stopped. If you want my help, you have it, no matter who gets in the way. But if you want to stick me in a cell, that’s fine too so long as you shut these things down.”
***
Now
“I told you the truth about the Sentinels. That the X-Men weren’t in a position to act and that only you could shut it down. That was all true. Without you and the Brotherhood, there’s no way we could have forced Trask and his program out of the Pentagon, set up his AIM facility to be destroyed and sent Olivier back to his realm for now. But now, your part of this is over.”
“And why shouldn’t I simply kill you now before finishing off the demon?”
“He can’t be defeated in his realm. Not by any normal means. You go in there, and he’ll take control of your mind, like he thought he did with mine. You’ll be his creature for the rest of your life, taking all the power you currently focus on mutants for his own ends.” Kane said. “We might be enemies, but I don’t think you deserve that fate. Only my people can finish off Olivier for good.”
“As if I could believe that.”
“It’s up to you. Here’s what I do know. You crushed the Sentinels for months, even years as a threat. When I take care of Olivier, that’s hundreds or thousands of mutants who won’t be threatened by him ever again. And while the X-Men are currently ambushing your Brotherhood at the facility, their focus will be on destroying the building, so most of your people should be able to escape.” Kane said. “For a betrayal, you got a lot of your goals accomplished for a relatively minor cost.”
Magneto was silent. He closed his eyes for a moment, utilizing his comms and shook his head. “Your X-Men are indeed at the battle site. I’ve told my Brotherhood to withdraw. It was a masterful ploy, Kane, but I hope it was worth it for you.”
“You know me, Erik. I’ll do what it takes.”
“The motto of many a dead man.” His eyes flickered over to the glow that sprung up in the parking lot. “I see the rest of your forces.”
“Go Erik. You did legitimate good today. There’s no need for another fight.”
“But that is where you are wrong.”
