2013.07.29 - A New Start

Getting into the Genoshan Embassy isn't easy. The guards are a bit stiff, and it takes quite a while for the request to percolate up the chain of command. After about twenty minutes, the guards open the gate and hand Rogue a visitor's pass. The guard, a hulking mutant who looks bred for guard duty, gestures for Rogue to precede him up the long driveway and to the stairs. Though the property is only a few acres in size, it's right in the middle of Upper Metropolis, and it makes the mansion in the center look positively palatial.

Up the walkway, up the stairs, take a left, and the guard pauses outside a door and knocks twice. "Enter," a a voice commands.

The guard opens the door to a luxuriously appointed office, all done in deep mahogany and reds. A desk to rival the Presidential seat in the oval office sits in front of bay windows. A magnificent painting of Magneto- rendered as an avenging figure, holding a light of salvation in one hand- dominates the wall opposite the library shelves. Magneto smiles at Rogue as she enters, gesturing for her to come take a seat in front of his desk. "Ahh, miss Rogue. What a pleasure to see you again. Please, have a seat. May I offer you a beverage?" he asks, gesturing at the wet bar and a butler standing in silent attendance.

Rogue could feel like her heart was going to beat out of her chest as she was lead into Magneto's office. Her mind kept racing at whether this was the right decision, and it didn't help that Mystique's voice was constantly whispering in her ear. She needed to get away, be with her people. And maybe for once she could actually get a fresh start, or at the very least time to just think.

She had no idea about how to dress to meet with an ambassador for a country, so Rogue went simple. She wore a green button-up blouse, black slacks, and a pair of black cowboy boots that weren't too beat up yet, "fancy" or "business professional" wasn't in this girls small wardrobe.

Her green eyes darted about the room as she took it all in, it reminded her of Charles' office only larger and more elegant. She took a seat and gave him a small smile, "Ah'm good. Thank you for having me here Mr. Lensherr."

"I'm afraid Erik Lehnsherr is effectively dead," Magneto says with a wry smile, steepling his fingers. "He was a good man, but hardly suited to rule a nation. I was gratified to hear the protests that arose in wake of his departure." Magneto chuckles. "It is strange speaking of myself in the past tense," he admits.

"So, the guard said you had some questions about possibly emigrating to Genosha?" Magneto asks, looking a bit speculatively at the girl. "Our process isn't complex, but I do have to ask what prompted this choice. You seem fairly well established here in the States. A likeable young woman with a bright future. What do you see yourself doing in Genosha?"

Rogue quirked an eyebrow at Magento's initial response. Awkward, she always knew she would be bad at interviews. She wondered if "Mister Magneto" would sound correct, and immediately dismissed the thought.

"Well y'see. Ah want a change in environment and ah'd enjoy being around my own people." She shifted uncomfortably and looked out the window, "Was there when the Sentinels first showed up. It seems like a good time to band together and be ourselves. It would be nice to live in a country where all of us are just. . . normal, ya know?"

"You would be in the only place on Earth where a mutant's powers manifesting in the street is a daily occurance," Magneto admits. "Where we can stand together in guard against things like the Sentinel project, the SHIELD initiatives... where the only fight mutants are being press-ganged into is the fight to /defend/ mutants." He spreads his hands. "And the research I am doing is aimed at helping Epsilon mutants ameliorate those aspects of their powers that they find distressing. I know there are some... limitations on what your powers let you do. I can make no promises, but hard-working and industrious members of Bastion are usually highest on the list to recieve special treatment and examination in our labworks."

Rogue looked down at a gloved hand and rubbed her fingers together, considering. In her progress so far as an X-man, she's learned to throw one hell of a punch (with or without Ms. Marvel's powers) but has had zero progress on her main goal, control.

She heard the whisper of Mystique's mind into her own, "Ah aint gonna be no lab rat though, if that's what yer thinkin'. But if you have people that might be able to. . .figure this problem I've got out. Ah'd be very appreciative."

"I've helped more than a few mutants so far," Magneto says, standing. He moves over to a computer screen, flicking a finger at it. A holographic display pops on, and a series of faces flickers in the air. "One, I helped master a new level of his gifts through the raw application of scientific extrapolation. Another, I was able to help her develop control measures so that her gifts didn't inhibit her social life. If you give me some of your time and a bit of patience, I am sure that I can come up with at least a step in the right direction to giving you some greater measure of control over your gifts," Magneto says. "All I ask in return is that you swear allegience to Genosha and serve your fellow mutants. It is the same oath I have taken- the same oath every other citizen of Bastion takes. All I ask is that we protect one another."

A small smirk spreads across the face as he shows her the girl, there was at least one person in Genosha she would have something in common with. She considered his words, as she ran her fingers through her hair. Her eyes caught the portrait of Magneto, "Are there enough jobs in Genosha, and places to say? Ah'm not gonna lie, don't have a lot of cash."

"Overcrowding's a minor issue, but generally speaking, people stay in transient housing for less than a week while we sort out their housing assignments." He smiles at Rogue. "We have the advantage of having a large government for a small population. Social engineering is efficient when you have the manpower. We rate an individual's contributions to a certain scale, and they are authorized housing accordingly. Teachers, for instance, recieve fairly lavish accomodations. Members of the volunteer defense force recieve a bonus to their housing score. Unskilled laborers with special skills may recieve dispensations that can make their habitats more... pleasant. It's all a bit complicated, but we've eliminated the need for a housing market. It works out rather nicely when you're rewarded proportionally to your contribution to society for your work in that very place. It keeps people .. honest."

Rogue rose from her chair and stood behind it, as her thoughts were moving quickly. She turned her attention to Magneto, "Then ah've got one more question for you. Especially with the overcrowding, do /you/ have a need for me there. From what you know, do you think Ah have a chance?"

That sounded a little sadder then she meant, but it was honest. If Genosha was going to be right for her, she needs to be right for Genosha.

"I don't know. I don't know what gifts you have. It's highly probably /you/ don't know what gifts you have." Magneto rises, frowning, and moves to stand in front of Rogue. "I think you misunderstand me. I don't cherry-pick mutants and bring them to Genosha. Anyone and everyone with the X-gene, great and small, is welcome there. I have mutants who can crush mountains working as administrative assistants. I have mutants who can barely manifest any power at all in charge of my security forces." He smiles at Rogue, holding a hand up in the air as if patting her affectionately. He clearly is aware of her aversion to being touched. "You are /more/ than the sum of your genetic code, and you are more than your gifts. If all you wish to do is work in a field and harvest potatoes, you will be welcomed to Genosha as one of us."

Rogue glanced at his hand and smiled, she reached out to take his in a handshake, "Magneto, you'll find 'Ah can do pretty much anythin'. So you know what? Ah'm in."

She felt a weight lifted off her shoulders, and that excited feeling when you make a new life decision.

Magneto's eyes crinkle in a smile that is positively electrifying. It's equal measures benevolent grandfather and excited soccer coach. It's infectious and galvanizing. Magneto meets Rogue's grip, ounce for ounce, the releases her handshake. "I'm glad to hear that," Magneto says, taking a step back. "Mystique speaks very highly of you. I hope you choose to work doing something a /bit/ more ambitious than gardening," he adds, arching an eyebrow.

"Please, raise your right hand, and repeat after me," Magneto says. "The oath may be a small thing, but to us, it is everything. 'I, Rogue, swear to support and defend the nation of Genosha. I swear to protect mutants great and small wherever I see injustice arrayed against our kindred. I swear to protect Genosha from all threats, within and without. I swear my life and loyalty to mutant-kind, to Genosha, and to the Imperator. This I swear, before all who witness here," he says, concluding the oath.

Rogue swallows a gulp at the mention of Mystique. Of course she would be there, but she also heard Nightcrawler was there as well. Along with so many others.

She let in a breath to calm herself. Rogue raised her hand to repeat the oath word for word. This was an idea she could get behind, and she felt the words as she spoke them.

"Welcome to Genosha," Magneto says with a warm smile. "Citizen." He makes a gesture, and a small robot drops down from the ceiling. It buzzes loudly and lights flicker over Rogue's face. A microproboscous flits out, lapping gently at the side of Rogue's mouth like a feather touch. "Much less intrusive than a blood sample, and more effective against some of our friends with more... durable attributes," Magneto says. The robot hums, then beeps and withdraws. "Congratulations. You are now a recognized citizen of Genosha, with all the rights and privileges accorded. You have the right to shelter and asylum and the embassy, the right to vote on general assembly matters, and the right to apply for work and shelter allocations. There are many details you'll want to attend to once you arrive, but our orientation team has become very quick. I think you'll find the process fairly pain-free."

She jumps as the small robot takes a sample and touches at the spot once it leaves, "And now Ah've been kissed by a robot. Well that's one hell of a ceremony there. Stands out, really."

She lets out a laugh at the sheer randomness of this encounter. But a bit of that now and then was refreshing, "Just need to get my things, and send out word that Ah'm goin'. Thank you Magneto."