2015.03.17 - The Mouse That Roared

The letters showed up in the mail boxes of the town the day previous. Some thought it a hoax, but local law enforcement certainly did not. There was a small army unit, and despite a call for heroes and metas in general, because it was so...uncharacteristic of Magneto, most didn't take it seriously.

So only one showed up.

But the letter simply said, "You have been involved in the construction of Sentinels. These weapons against mutants are a crime against human kind. Since you deem it acceptable, you and your family are held accountable. You have a day to set your affairs in order."

Some, of course ran, but the kind of person who will build components for a robot designed to kill mutants isn't one to let themselves be threatened. They put their faith in the army and air force being able to protect them. Magneto didn't care. Genosha decloaked off the United States coast, five miles off, with several battalions waiting in assault boats, ready to storm the coast at a moment's notice. But ....as it was, he looked about...and saw no signs.

"WHAT IS THIS?" He howled, voice magnified, insulted.

Kitty Pryde ...was NOT expecting that. With it all seeming very out of character and unlikely, and with the attack on Storm very immediate and pressing for everyone.. Kitty went to keep an eye on things as a sort of just-in-case. Maybe it was a hoax, maybe a wanna be or someone just trying to make a stir... but she has to admit she wasn't expecting Magneto, let alone the whole Island of Genosha..! Well.. Well shoot.

Kitty stands up slowly from where she was hanging out with a book in a small park by the coast, "No way.. how scrambled -is- he??" she's never had terrific faith in Magneto's compassion, but she's seen signs of it, now and then.. he, of all people, is killing families for the wrongs done by one member?

She's barely stunned a moment before she whips up her radio, urgently notifying the others that despite all odds, the kooky letter threats are apparently 100 real... but gets only static. "Oh, perfect.." she watches the island float closer only another second.. they haven't fired yet, maybe-- and then she hears Magneto howling, irate. Eh..? Maybe there is something else to this after all? Whatever the case, she's an X-man; she can't stand by, even if it's just her while innocent families and kids are under threat. She floats into the air across the water wondering, "Looking for someone??"

"The United State of America," Magneto booms, "Loves to consider itself the beacon of light to the world. There are more heroes in this country than any other place in the world...and they are genuinely heroes. I know, for I fought side by side with them when Darkseid invaded. They were THERE when Genosha was attacked, but like Russia and the camps, the United States government has routinely IGNORED the war crimes of sentinels, knowing full well that many of the powerful among them are, even know, building and stock piling these machines. These are not tanks, or bombs but sentient weapons designed to do ONE THING, kill mutants.

How many intelligence reports have indicated the dark future where they turn on humanity after they take out mutants, yet even as little as a year and a half ago, this town was involved in the construction of these beasts, and they know it. Even now, you should and shall hear the calls claiming justification in their actions intercepted on hacked NSA intercepts. So we have proof the federal government knew about it and did not indict, and we have proof that these people knew what they made and did NOTHING. Well..." He does love his Monologs, doesn't he?

"We shall administer justice then. And who shall stop us?" He lifts over twenty tanks with their barrels into the air and turns their barrels into knots as the men inside scramble out to the ground. Then he makes the metal a giant ball and has it roll towards one of the houses.

"And what say the heroes of America to these charges? To the willful ignorance of their government?"

. o O "Maybe they are hiding?" He notices Kitty but doesn't really count her.

Kitty Pryde floats there in front of him.. and if her eyelids lower just a bit as he goes on and ON, she doesn't actually take her gaze from him, or interrupt.. by all means, let him talk, maybe she can get some kind of insight on what's -behind- all this craziness! At least right up until he rolls a tank ball towards a house. "Hey!!" she shouts, blocking off his line of sight in the hopes that will distract him from the threat to the house for now.... "I'm right here! And no one's here because no one actually believed you'd sink this low, if you want to know!" she tchs.. "You think we don't know about the groups pushing killing machines like that? We -know-. And despite what I know you figure about us, we're not doing nothing. There was a warehouse just a few weeks ago we stepped in with, We're just not murdering to do it..!" she does keep an eye on that tank ball.. if by some miracle she could talk him down, she will..but she's well aware that if he goes on threatening these people, it's going to come to a fight...and if it does she'll give it all she's got, odds be damned.

Erik Lehnsherr floats down and stands in front of Kitty, almost sneering but oddly respectful at the same time, "I'm well aware of what YOU are doing small one, but THEY willfully stand by and do nothing. Though I must admit I'm rather disappointed that you are they sent. You have done some good Kitty, but you're hardly a match for me, and you know it. You should run. I have no desire to harm you, but I will if I must." Meanwhile another dozen tanks are lifted up and turned into a nice little sculpture of Magneto himself. He hasn't KILLED any soldiers yet, but he's wounded about a hundred as he turns their fired rifle bullets right back on them.

Kitty Pryde spreads her arms, protesting explosively, "But this isn't how to fix it!! This just rallies more people to the guys who want to stamp us out!" and she hmphs.. "Like I said! They only sent me 'cause none of us believed it could really be -you- threatening to murder little kids! If we--" she hears the gunshots, and whirls around to see them strike those who shot them.. she winces as she looks back to Magneto, but it doesn't escape her he's only hurt those who fired first, and killed none.. she dearly hopes. "You don't..really wanna do this." she half states, half realizes. "L-look...come back to the mansion? We can talk.." perhaps he doesn't know what to do with himself after snapping in the city, killing that man..? Maybe there is a chance of this ending peacefully..?

Erik says, "Ms. Pryde, do not pretend to know me. What I *WANT* to do," he says quietly enough that his voice for once is not booming for all to be heard,"is not the same as what I *WILL* do. I have an agenda, and do you have any doubt that I will do WHATEVER it takes to achieve it? You did not send enough heroes to be a credible threat to me. That means that you have boxed me into a corner where I MUST take this grisly action. And, while I have no desire to be a monster, a monster is what the situation calls for. And any ancillary good it may do by making the next human think twice before working for a company like this, so much the better. Inspiration isn't doing the job. They're still making sentinels. And so they will die...." He puts on his helmet and slowly begins to rise off the ground."

Kitty Pryde stares him in the eye and states, "I -do- doubt that." remembering a time he nearly killed her out of defensive reflex back when she was young and green as a hero, and came to his senses as a result... at least for a moment, years ago. She won't buy that he has no choice, whatever he likes to tell himself now. But as he puts on his helmet she adds grimly, "But if you won't take responsibility for seeing this is wrong.." and with that she becomes solid long enough to launch herself off the ground, phasing as she rises to maintain her speed as she speeds towards the imperious master of magnetism. Her fist however is solid enough when it lashes out for his jaw. "..then -I- will!"

It's interesting really. Magneto is currently egregiously wounded that Charles thinks so little of him that he just sent Kitty. He's also putting refining touches to the sculpture (quite good actually) made entirely of tank parts, precisely turning all the bullets back at every single person who fires them into a limb in sequential order, not so much because they deserve to be spared, but because he simply CAN, the logistical needs to replace the battalions that have been deployed because of all the frozen funds (damn them all for doing that!), how to find a new currency that was not vulnerable, what to do about those miscreants in Argentina, what his next target on the list was going to be, AND how to fix his end game that he really, honestly genuinely and entirely had written off Kitty, to the point that not only does the punch hit, but it collapses into his elderly jaw....and knocks him out cold!

And then there is ...silence.

Kitty Pryde ......blinks. She dives down to try to pin Magneto, at first certain it's some sort of trick or ruse, but...he's out?

The soldiers are hesitant at first, but after a solid minute there is a solid cheer. HE'S DOWN! The hated tyrant is down.

The Genoshan forces are unsure of what to do as well. They have orders and those orders were not to attack UNTIL Magneto gave the word. This is unexpected, but the Imperator's word is law....there is dissension in the ranks but...they retreat.

Kitty Pryde, when she realizes he really is out, looks up warily, worried the rest of Genosha might just pick right up where it's leader left off...

The island....vanishes.