2014.03.19 - Genosha, Tea and Apocalypse

It wasn't particularly hard for Cable to find the location of Genosha, once he began scanning across the world in Graymalkin. It's sort of a 10,000 square mile chunk of land, after all. 40th century scanning technology is nothing to sneeze at, even if it ended up taking longer than expected. After finding out the general location, Cable hefts himself to his feet. Although he for sure isn't a man of formality and etiquette, he damn well knows who to respect. He's not going to be coy, and test if Graymalkin can teleport him directly onto the landmass.

Glowing bright blue, he then levitates into the air. His weaponry is unslung from his shoulders and thrown to the ground, pistols following. Even his backup bootknife is flung to stick into the metal a distance away.

"Bodyslide by 1."

A moment later, he's close enough to Genosha to see it as a distant imprint, like a mountain on the horizon. He begins to rocket towards it at incredible speeds, a great CRACK and warble of misty air as he breaks the sound barrier; although he slows down when closer, waiting to see if there will be some manner of interjection or notification given to him, hands held up palms out in the universal sign of 'I come in peace'.

The interjection is a simple one- Cable slows down. It's barely palpable at first, but as he gains on Genosha, an inductive fricton starts to press against him. It's not a simple friction of heat or pressure, but one that affects him on a molecular level, literally forcing his atoms to travel at a lower velocity.

About ten miles out, a few fliers can be seen- drones, on patrol. They signal Cable with landing lights and bring him in to a landing pad near Bastion, not far from what could be considered the base of the city. It's a processing station, of all things- Cable is immediately scanned and a bored looking mutant approaches, clipboard in hand.

"Hello, Welcome to Genosha," he says in a dull tone, clicking a pen. "Please state your name and country of origin, and be prepared for genetic and tissue sampling. We welcome all newcomers to Genosha and..." he pauses as his scanner informs him of the level of power in Cable's system, and his eyes widen. "Oh. Oh! Yes. You, uh, you don't process in here," the man informs Cable with a stammer. "Fly up to the base of the Spire. They'll process your entry. Lord Magneto will want to speak with you. /Personally/," he says, sounding a bit awed.

That's an unusual reaction. Cable presses forward, trying to power through, but it does nothing. Huh. Any aircraft or missiles would be a sitting duck; he can break the sound barrier, even faster if he really needs do, and right now has felt more vulnerable than he has in a lot of years. Good thing it appears Magneto decided the 'friend' aspect was on the table.

He follows the drones without complaint, going as fast as he can to keep up with them if able. With a heavy thump, he lands upon the mobile country. It feels good, looking upon it without terrible headaches and flashbacks. It's new to all Cables, which means it's new to him, too.

The scans register something peculiar. The exact same odd readings of the Techno-Organic Virus that Apocalypse has, if markedly less. In fact, he even came from the same dimension and timestream. It would be immediately apparent to Magneto that Cable has some connection to him. The approaching Mutant is given a mile-long stare, one quite imposing; a nearly seven foot muscled figure with a mildly glowing eye and metal arm is certainly not the usual immigrant. And indeed, the reading is very much 'Omega'.

"I'm not here to be processed." he confirms, but it seems there's no need for any sort of escalation. Without so much as a 'thanks', Cable erupts into the sky. A blast of wind and force might send the hapless immigrant screener to the ground; hopefully they had a tight grip on the clipboard.

Staying just shy of breaking the sound barrier this time, he'd move to rapidly decelerate and then quickly land at the foot of the spire, glancing around with an air of lazy expectancy.

The interjection is a simple one- Cable slows down. It's barely palpable at first, but as he gains on Genosha, an inductive fricton starts to press against him. It's not a simple friction of heat or pressure, but one that affects him on a molecular level, literally forcing his atoms to travel at a lower velocity. About ten miles out, a few fliers can be seen- drones, on patrol. They signal Cable with landing lights and bring him in to a landing pad near Bastion, not far from what could be considered the base of the city.

It's a processing station, of all things- Cable is immediately scanned and a bored looking mutant approaches, clipboard in hand. "Hello, Welcome to Genosha," he says in a dull tone, clicking a pen. "Please state your name and country of origin, and be prepared for genetic and tissue sampling. We welcome all newcomers to Genosha and..." he pauses as his scanner informs him of the level of power in Cable's system, and his eyes widen. "Oh. Oh! Yes. You, uh, you don't process in here," the man informs Cable with a stammer. "Fly up to the base of the Spire. They'll process your entry. Lord Magneto will want to speak with you. /Personally/," he says, sounding a bit awed.

That's an unusual reaction. Cable presses forward, trying to power through, but it does nothing. Huh. Any aircraft or missiles would be a sitting duck; he can break the sound barrier, even faster if he really needs do, and right now has felt more vulnerable than he has in a lot of years. Good thing it appears Magneto decided the 'friend' aspect was on the table. He follows the drones without complaint, going as fast as he can to keep up with them if able. With a heavy thump, he lands upon the mobile country. It feels good, looking upon it without terrible headaches and flashbacks. It's new to all Cables, which means it's new to him, too.

The scans register something peculiar. The exact same odd readings of the Techno-Organic Virus that Apocalypse has, if markedly less. In fact, he even came from the same dimension and timestream. It would be immediately apparent to Magneto that Cable has some connection to him. The approaching Mutant is given a mile-long stare, one quite imposing; a nearly seven foot muscled figure with a mildly glowing eye and metal arm is certainly not the usual immigrant. And indeed, the reading is very much 'Omega'.

"I'm not here to be processed." he confirms, but it seems there's no need for any sort of escalation. Without so much as a 'thanks', Cable erupts into the sky. A blast of wind and force might send the hapless immigrant screener to the ground; hopefully they had a tight grip on the clipboard. Staying just shy of breaking the sound barrier this time, he'd move to rapidly decelerate and then quickly land at the foot of the spire, glancing around with an air of lazy expectancy.

"Hang on a minute." A giant mutant- ten feet tall if he's an inch- unfolds lazily from the guard station near the landing pad. He's wearing armor that must have been custom made to fit him (possibly retrofitted from a tank) and looks over Cable, scanning him with a little digital hand-thing that looks minute in his giant palm.

"Hhhnh. Omega class?" He shakes his head. "Wait here a minute. Boss screens all Omegas personally."

A series of signals are passes up from the landing pad to the Spire up overhead, and in a few minutes, a form leaps gracefully from the upper point of the giant black obelisk. It turns into a man, descending with an unhurried pace, and landing a few feet from Cable.

"...Summers. Well, you have changed since last we spoke," Magneto says in a wry voice. But this is no Magneto Cable's ever known. He's young, and virile, with dark hair and an expressive face. "Where on earth-" he stops, eyes narrowing. "Not from Earth at all, I would guess. Damnation, another time traveller?" he says, speaking aloud. "Are you here to tell me I am doing it right or wrong this time?" he asks. Clearly, Cable's not the first time-traveller to approach Magneto.

A few steps forward are taken, but Cable stops before the monstrous mutant might consider it anything remotely a threat. The large future-bound mutant is certainly not here to make any sort of hostile intentions. Although Magneto's battle information on him is only that he's got an enhanced physiology, and highly suppressed psychic and telekinetic abilities. ...That he's evolved far beyond that in the world he descended from can be kept in the back pocket for now. "Mmhmm." Cable's not impatient, in general. But with a man who's life is in an hourglass, beaurocracy is one of his least favorite things.

"...Erik." There's a tone of familiarity and respect there that Magneto would find alien, given he'd never formally met the man. And yes; something's off. Cable is older, by at least a couple years, and has a few scars of battle not present before. He seems... much, much more centered. "Heh. You get this a lot? I'm not surprised. You are one of the most influential men in any timestream in existance. But know this. In my recent past, I considered you an ally I could trust. We spoke a lot, in those months. On your views and dreams. I don't know if you still keep them here... but I'm not sure if you'd endorse what I'm hoping to tell you."

A glance sidelong is given to the mutant present. "Mind us being alone? I'm not a fool. You could rip every bit of metal out of me if I tried anything funny. Wish that'd fix my virus, but..." Maybe he tried something similar at one point. A cure has always been in the back of his mind.

Magneto looks a bit startled. But from the way his body reacts, it's more from what Nathan /is/, not what he says. "Ah. Yes, I think some privacy would be wise. Come along, then," he invites, offering Cable the equivalent of a polite magneto-electric hand up the Spire.

Once at the top, he lands them neatly on a patio that's actually set for recieving company, to enjoy the bright Genoshan sun. Magneto shucks his robes, revealing a comfortable athletic shirt and jeans, of all things, and smiles wryly at Cable. "I was not quite sure with whom I would be meeting today," he explains, gesturing at his getup. "Today I was actually relaxing and watching soccer. Greece is favored to beat Rwanda. May I offer you some tea?" he invites, ever the politely solicitous host.

The hand is accepted. No need to show he can rush around in the air with the greatest of ease, instead of feebly teleport as before. There's a since of awkwardness here, Cable glancing over with a squint to the sun. Formally and etiquette... he had no place for it, where he came from. He was the leader, the one who barked orders and got them obeyed. Shfiting to one of the seats, the elder Nathan twists it towards the balcony and heavily settles, heels lifting and resting on the edge as arms cross. "Not a fan of tea. Got alcohol?" After a few moments, "This is a pretty amazing place, I'll admit. It's not unlike some of the dreams I had. ...some of the dreams you told me once." It's strange, to see Magneto and not be wracked by those awful psychic echoes. He remembers something distant about a threat to him, but it's so far in the back of his mind as to not be a concern. "Greece vs. Rwanda, huh? Didn't take you as the soccer sort." But that's neither here or now. "So. Erik." He's blatantly not calling him by his preferred epitophs, but it's not to spite him. Not to demean him. It seems Cable is comfortable with Magneto, in a way he's yet to understand. "What's your plan for all this? What do you want to do with this nation? How far will you take it, if the humans fight back?"

"Oh, this conversation," Magneto says with a sigh. He /does/ pour himself some tea, settling comfortably into one of the seats. "I take it from your timeline, we are quite familiar with one another," Magneto says, making idle note of Cable's lack of proper title. Only Mystique and Circe call him 'Erik'. "We are going to war," he says, quite calmly. "With Lithuania. I have petitioned the United Nations for six months to help fund a task force to stop the ongoing use of concentration camps and illegal mutant testing. Genosha is-" he gestures at the monstrous floating island- "now more than an island, we are a mobile battle platform. I did not want this war, and did everything I could to halt it," Magneto hastens to assure Cable. "But hundreds have died, and thousands are at risk. If America can invade a nation without the permission of the United Nations, so can I."

"We talked a lot." Cable confirms. "We had the same ideas. That changing the world isn't measured in a single person's lifetime, but permanently changing the views of the world and society for centuries to come, for the greater good." After a few moments, Cable seems to consider all these things. And the conclusion he comes to might not be the preachy, all-knowing man that he might expect, from the information he has on Cable. "I'm not here for that. It's your business. War happens. It's a neccesary evil. What's important is what the victor does. That would be the only thing I'd be curious about." But apparently only distantly curious. "I came here to warn you of a threat. A threat that is in many ways worse than Darkseid. Darkseid's like some wandering Galactus, devouring things here and there. Whatever. Brute force hasn't taken Earth in any timeline I've seen." But he leans forward. "But there's a mutant out there that's a cancer. A literal cancer. One who is trying to worm his way into the good graces of those who don't know his truce face. I need to know if you met this man, Erik. ...A man named En Sabah Nur. Apocalypse."

Magneto's face goes very still. His poker face is excellent, but his lack of reaction is as much a cue as any expression he could have made. "...You are much preferable to the last Nathaniel who stormed into here," Magneto congratulates the man. "I find myself... listening to you."

"I have met this Apocalypse. A dangerous, potent mutant," he agrees, looking at Cable. "Brilliant and dangerous. But I have met dangerous before. I have killed dangerous before. What makes him so much worse than Darkseid? Who, I might add," he points out, "killed Iron Man and scattered the Justice League to the winds."

"...So you sense I'm different, huh?" Cable states, with wry amusement. "Keep those rumors to yourself, if you would. Not sure how most people would react here. But if people are genociding mutants, I'm not going to abide by it. Especially if it's a political power that feels justified. People need to know that will not be tolerated, even if not every hero would agree with the right approach." Leaning forward, Cable opens his eyes, before looking at Erik intently. "...It would be easier to show you. Got a pretty good offer on how to do that. Grasp every bit of metal in me with your magnetism. Take off your laurels. I'll send you what I know from telepathy. If you sense I am doing anything but emitting information, you can rip me in half. You're good at that." Strange comment to make. "One of my psychic blasts can't take you down in a single blow. You'd kill me after if I tried. Should be pretty simple. No need for exploitable things like trust... because I know if you felt like it, you could kill me at any time, right now."

Magneto takes a deep breath. That's a lot of trust that Nathan is asking for, all at once, and Magneto isn't the kind to give it easily.

But his hand goes to his head where his laurels rest and he removes the delicate device from his brow, the physical blockade to his brain exposed.

"This will take a moment. I am not accustomed to a meld of this sort," Magneto murmurs, closing his eyes. Cable abruptly goes instantly, /completely/ still, as Magneto holds him in a magnetic vice-lock with enough force to rip him apart at the atomic level if he twitches.

"I am ready to recieve," he murmurs in a low voice. "Have a care. Certain parts of my brain will automatically trigger a reaction if I feel you rooting around in them."

"Yeah. Just like that." Cable states, sounding to genuinely admire the fact that Magneto is maneuvering his powers, on a level that would be above Omega had it existed, to absolute effect. "You don't take chances in this world. Or any world. Put a gun to your head with 1000 chambers and one bullet. Pull it once, you are fine. Pull it again, day after day, for a year..." He leaves the rest of the philosophical ideals behind. "Don't worry. It's not intrusive. You'll just feel something like a dream. ...And I know better to risk touching anything, in your case..."

A moment later, Magneto would see a field of fire. Horror. Scorched earth, shattered buildings, and massive landscapes of bio-organic steel virus. Humans are caught and genocided, used for ruthless, inhuman experiments, treated as less than rats. Even those that surrender, those that beg for mercy. There are camps full of 'inferior' mutants, forced to breed and produce offspring to be tested. Those below Omega are literally exterminated at birth. In this twisted world, only the Omega have the right to live, and the bloodline ever advances. Two thousand years, with the world entirely conquered, and En Sabah Nur's ruthless visage at the head.

<< He is a cancer, as I said. He wants to go far beyond what I believe even you would want. The future he plans, there is nothing but the strong. Mutants are no more than humans, unless they meet his worth. >>

A brief image of a young Nathan is seen, managing to obliterate a long-aged and weakened Apocalypse. But the aftermath is decades of fighting with his radicals, slowly losing. Even the echo of his madness nearly destroyed the world. << I went back in time to stop him. We lost, even when we won. But where I arrived, his onslaught had almost succeeded. Very few mutants were alive and able to resist... but I had a lifetime of knowing how he worked, and fighting back. In the end, he was pinned down. Attacked. ...And it was you, Magneto. You, who ripped him in half and killed his godly form. He got to an heir, and then fled to this timeline. I followed. When he arrived, he damaged and overwrote much of the past, which is why none seem to know him. >> No comment on what Cable's arrival did, but the easy assumption he he came from the same era. << The timeline died. But this is the Alpha one. The True one. >>

The telepathic melding finishes. "En Sabah Nur is not out for mutant rights. He is out for cleansing the gene pool. He would kill 99% of Genosha and consider it a boon in the grand scheme. ...He is insidious and charismatic. But new to this world. It's my goal... to make sure he will find no allies, if I can possibly help it." Through the empathetic link, Cable left much of his own mind open; every telepathic image rang of truth, no falsehood, no tampering. Things witnessed and known for sure by the old soldier opposite. "So that's my question. Would you side with him, Magneto...? Do you want mutantkind to survive, by removing all but the strong? Or do you wish them to grow and develop as a society, the next step of evolution that should be allowed to be natural...?"

"Can he be used?" Magneto asks, struggling not to look rocked by the melding. It was impossible not to trust Nathaniel- Cable. This is not Nathan Summers, this is not Nate Grey. This is /Cable/. A gestalt entity himself, a blending of dozens, if not infinite timelines.

"He is... the first. You realize this?" Magneto asks, struggling to keep himself composed. "Th genetic source material he represents. The technovirus he bears. He could teach /me/ of genetics. I..." he shakes his head. "I cannot condone the vision you showed me. But could he be turned? Changed? Convinced of the errors of his ways? He bears as little threat to me as you do. With a snap of my fingers, I could obliterate him- scatter him into elemetal dust," Magneto assures Cable.

"He's close to the first. One of them." Cable readily agrees. There might be a couple mutants technically older, but none ever truly rose to his heights from everything he knows in his body. "...Don't be a fool, Erik." This is not stated with arrogance. No; it's caution. He's been speaking to Magneto as an equal the whole time, although it might have been a long, long time since anyone had dared attempt such, let alone in Genosha itself. "Kiling him does nothing. He will regenerate his form. And he has not even given you a hint of the power he truly possesses. His dominion over energy shields is as strong as yours. I have witnessed it. Only his... is omniversal. He can control all energy, not just magnetism. He's capable of blocking you out with his shield. He's capable of moving faster than me, and I'm not slow. He hits as hard, and takes a hit as well, when not regenerating, growing in size, or firing energy blasts to level a city block. And that's only upfront. He didn't win through brute force. ...I'll tell you this. The Mr. Sinister of this timeline, who appeared recently with his Four Horsemen? Sinister is a pawn to Apocalypse. Under his thumb. Helpless. Weaker in every way. And I think few would call Mr. Sinister an easy fight."

Fingers scratch at Cable's chin. "The issue with men like us... men with so much power we feel obliged to use it to better the world... is overconfidence. Don't assume you can strike him down with ease. He's one of the few people in existance who can survive you, and fight back with terrible ferocity. His endurance nearly endless... in the end, you'd lose through attrition. It happened before. You barely survived. And when you killed him, it was a massive team attack of the remaining X-Men that broke his shield."

"...Yes. The shield. If you can find a way to nullify that, then you could vaporize him." Cable drums fingers heavily on the table. "As for your second question? No. Impossible. He believes himself a God, and that all mutants are his flock to judge. Yet he will say whatever he needs to in order to make you THINK that's the case."

Suddenly, Cable grips his metal arm. With a grunt of pain, he rips off a piece of it, and then flicks it towards Magneto. It should be easy to catch with his power. "Techno-Organic Virus. He infected me. The intent was to turn me into an entire bio-mechanical creature with a hivemind and instinct to infect. He's a quarter of the way there. ...But for that to survive, you need to infect someone else to study it. ...I'll leave the gruesome details to you. Research needs to be done. Every ounce of Apocalypse is suffused with that virus, and he controls it absolutely. It might be another key, if he needs... dealt with."

Cable moves to push up to his feet afterwards. "Play with him if you like. You are smart enough to do that. But for every boon he grants, he'll steal two more. Most likely, he'll try to convert you to his side. Play along, is my vote. But I trust in the end, you are capable of doing what's needed."

"...and as for the genocide and camps of mutants..." A flick, and a card lands on the table. "Maybe I can lend a hand. But know this. Xavier is wrong, but part right. You are wrong, but part right. The answer is in mutual understanding, but that will never be through love. To me... the best catalyst would be a common enemy..."

Magneto catches that bit of the TO virus in the air, not daring to touch it. "I will analyze it," he assures Cable, looking at the nascent virus curiously. "And I look forward to working with you. You are unlike the other versions of yourself I have met," Magneto informs Cable. "I get the sense we have worked together extensively in your lifetime. I look forward to exploring that now, in my timeline," he says with an easy smile. He makes a small gesture. "If you need to return home, you may do so. I have temporarily deactivated the induction field. It was a pleasure to meet you... Cable," he says, finally cottoning to the man's true identity.

"I think I understood you. Not many people gave you that chance before, from what I understood. Only Charles... and he opposed it in every way. And I think you, too, understood me. We'll see if this new timeline can rekindle that..." A sheath of telekinetic energy whirls around as Cable hovers. "Don't underestimate him. You are a God amongst humans, beyond even me, but only if reality plays by your rules. Remember that, Erik. He can break them." And then, a simple incantation. "Bodyslide by one." With Genosha's defenses dulled, he can be felt temporally teleporting into orbit. Tracking the location to a great space station isn't much harder, of a technology unfathomably complex; 40th century, to be sure. Not information he might have wanted to fall into Magneto's hands...