2013.08.20 - Recruiting

This is one of those rare moments that Shift has left the X-Men base since his return to Westchester. Thanks to Cerebro's integration with the X-Net, he was aware that Doug was on the mansion grounds, and had sent the mutant an electronic message requesting that they meet at a specific area of the grounds.

He hoped that Doug would come alone. News that Shift was even here should be enough to set the mutant at ease that Kwabena wasn't their enemy, but there was nevertheless a touch of worry on the African's mind. Not far from one of the base's entrances, Kwabena can be found with a cigarette in hand, dressed in a short sleeved version of his X-Men uniform.

Why -Shift- wanted to meet up with Doug... any number of possible answers came up. The Inhibitors situation. Genosha. Betsy. Kitty.

And apparently he -had- been brought back by Jean and Rachel, though the young mutant hadn't really gotten the whole story yet.

Leaving a note to Kitty on where he was, in case something -happened-, Doug moves to rendezvous at Shift's requested location.

"Hey, Kwa," Doug greets. "Got your message. What's going on?" he says, eyes shifting towards Kwabena to read what he could, seeking to pick up what he could with body language as well.

Kwabena's body language is quite clear to determine. He is pleased to see Doug, but there is a certain amount of trepidation in the way he carries himself. "Doug," he's quick to answer, and turns to approach the blond haired man. "Tank you for coming, I apologize dat dis all is so discrete."

He pauses to take a drag of the cigarette, intent on exhaling the smoke far away from Doug, up high into the air above him. He's about to begin pegging Doug with questions, when suddenly, he adopts a more apologetic stance. "So," he asks quietly, "how ah you doing? How have things been around here in my absence?"

Azure eyes follow the trail of smoke as it wisps and fray into the wind, rather than spend overlong on trying to analyze a man who could turn into smoke, where body language could be perfectly sincere one minute, and then change the next. All that Doug could be sure of right -now- was that Kwabena meant exactly what he was feeling at that moment.

"Well enough," Doug replies quietly. "We've been following up on the, uh, Inhibitors. Kitty almost had them talked down, I thought... and then well, Rachel reacted to something, and we're probably going to have to start over again with Kitty... although the upcoming school start is probably slowing things down."

Tilting his head, Doug asks mildly, his body language under his control to extrude a cool demeanor, ignoring the chaos in his mind. Not helped by the slight concussion he'd undertaken for Laura's mission... not that it's going to be brought up quite yet.

"Yeah," answers Kwabena, nodding his head slowly. "I have not forgotten about dem, but... I'm afraid my attention lies with Genosha."

A brief poofing sound fills the air, Kwabena's hand turning into a suffocating black smoke that snuffs out the burning cigarette in his hand. It lasts only as long as it must, and he's soon tucking the spent item into his pocket.

"I will soon be leaving for Genosha, to conduct an opahration intent on stopping Magneto's rise to powah." He sets a firm gaze upon Doug, understanding the severity of what he's about to request. "Accompanying me is entirely voluntary, of course, but... well, if you'd be willing, we could really use your help."

"I know, but my powers aren't the best for -that- place, I thought... with my powers, I'd be better suited to hacking or doing psy-ops instead," Doug responds quickly, in a manner that indicate he's been considering both Genosha and his place in it for a while. "This is a case, right now, where you're dealing with a psywar, not just something you can fight with powers and weapons... for this, you're going to need to counter the propaganda system and the public relations onslaught Magneto has been unleashing in the media."

"Exactly," answers Kwabena. His eyes seem to brighten, and his body language seems hopeful. And yet, he carries himself in such a way that suggests there is still something that he's holding back.

"We aren't yet sure what kind of communications tech Genosha had with de outside world. Dere is a chance dat any attempts at using your talents from a distance might fail, or be intahcepted. Plus? In a psy war? We might find ourselves needing someone with your talents to lean on."

Oh, he's certainly making his case, but his body language holds a certain reservation, as if he felt a bit awkward asking Doug to volunteer. "It will be dangerous, and voluntary, of course."

"So you think I'm better on-site...?" Doug says, tilting his head, as he reads the body language. A small smile crosses his face. "I died once. I just..." He shakes his head a bit, eyes shifting back towards Shift. "It took a while to find a reason to -stay- alive, but... I want to keep it that way."

Sighing, running his hand through his hair, Doug adds, "And to be honest...? I'm thinking Kitty had a good idea in trying to talk the Inhibitors over to our side. We might need -their- abilities, particularly... if we have to strike against Magneto."

There was a pause, as he waits for Shift to think that over, waiting for that moment when he might not be thinking, before he asks that question... "So what else are you not telling me?"

An attentive nod is given; Kwabena would much prefer having Doug on the island with them, rather than off site. However, that line of thought gets set aside for a moment. He'd been all but dead once, and it wasn't a pleasant experience.

"It's an effort to prevent all out war," he explains with no shortage of sobriety. "If not just delay it long enough to give mankind a bettah handle against Magneto."

Mention of the Inhibitors doesn't bring anything abnormal to Kwabena's body language, aside from a slight scowl at their mention. It was good to know that Kitty made some progress with them, but before he can really go on, Doug essentially nails him to the wall.

A wry smirk spreads across Kwabena's face. "This is exactly why I want you with us," he remarks, before answering. "I nevah left de X-Men, Doug. It was a cover story, something to keep people from prying too much or asking de wrong questions. I've been spying on Magneto's inner circle, during his time I. America. Dis is all off de record. I'm only telling you because, well, it's a need-to-know kind of thing, and if you do decide to join de Genosha op, you'll definitely need to know."

Taking a moment to think, rather than rushing through things, the way he might have when younger, the blond mutant strokes his chin, before looking up, wide blue eyes studying Shift. "Oh. Black ops. You know, Kitty never liked it. I never liked it either, but at least SHIELD taught me that sometimes it was necessary. It's easy to be a saint in paradise, I guess... Kitty's still got that idealism. And sometimes, I do, and sometimes I don't, because... you see enough of the world, and you realize that not everyone does things the same way."

Looking back towards the mansion, and more specifically, towards Kitty's room, Doug quietly muses, "Was it not one of the Captain's favorite authors who wrote, "And this above all, to thine own self be true?"

Bright blue eyes shift towards Kwabena. "With the X-Men vs Magneto, there has always been two ideals: Professor X's dream of peaceful coexistence, and Magneto's desire to replace human society with a -mutant- society because he think it is inherently flawed and racist"

Motioning back to the mansion, Doug comments, "That is Xavier's dream. To work with mutants, and to bring humans to acknowledge -us- as people. I think it's every bit as important to show people that there is Xavier's way, always, as much as it is to fight Magneto's way. That... that is the future I want tofight for." Eyes moves towards Shift. "That's why I left SHIELD, Kwa. That... that's the future I believe in."

Pause. "Oh great, Kitty. You've got -me- making -your- speeches," Doug groans.

With Doug's first response, Kwabena chooses to lean up against a nearby tree, enjoying the shade and the stiff trunk behind as it digs into a sore back.

"He nevah trusted me enough to say it outright, but I think you're right," agrees Kwabena. "In Erik's worldview, dere is simply not enough room for both. Follow dat through to its natural end and you get an ugly picture."

There is a moment where Kwabena begins to smile, and it's an honest one. "I believe it more now then perhaps I did before," he offers. "To protect myself, my memories were altered. I was made to actually believe in Magneto's stance." He taps his temple three times. "Everything's been put back togedah de way it was before, but I can still remembah de things I said, de way I felt, when I was undahcovah with de Brodahhood. It's a world of angah, distrust. Fear, above all else."

As if suddenly coming back to the moment, Kwabena's smile has faded completely. "Magneto is seeking out Sentinel tech. As far as I know, he already has it and is modifying it. He also wants to find Isaac and de Inhibitors. He considers dem a threat, but I think he would make to use dem against any mutant who might stand in his way. You could do a lot of good if you stay behind, I know dis. But, we will be missing an important piece of de team if you do." He grins. "Besides, someone needs to keep an eye out for Rachel and Jocelyn."

Smiling grimly now, Doug nods. "Yes. We had -Bolivar Trask- in our hands before, Kwabena. We let him go. But... you know, nobody said we didn't keep tabs on him," the blond mutant says softly. "Someone who could create tech like that? He can't just vanish, and all the technology he made didn't just go away just because he did. He's gone -somewhere-, and someone is using him. And I can find him, I think. I can." Maybe with those who chose not to go.

Taking a deep breath, Doug runs his hand through his hair. "You left it to us to track the Inhibitors. We do know where they are. I think you need someone you can trust to get to them -before- Magneto does. And..." A wry smile crosses his face. "... at least Rachel won't blow things up in our faces this time."

"We did," notes Kwabena. "And we turned him ovah to de Justice League. No, I think this is his legacy, and Magneto is seeking to use it to his advantage. I only did one op for him, Doug, and I found a new type of Sentinel, one dat could assemble itself from pieces... perhaps control oddahs remotely... perhaps even worse dan dat. All I know is, dey call it 'Mastah Mold', and Magneto would not give me access to de information we stole." He shakes his head bitterly. "I don't know anything more than that."

Leaning away from the tree, he earnestly asks, "Dere is a briefing on Wednesday. Do come, as we may call on you from afar. But if you choose to stay here, will you and Kitty seek out Isaac and his pahtners? See if you can't turn dem to our cause? If dere's one way to defeat Magneto... stripping him of his powah would be one hell of a way to do it."

The mere thought of it nearly makes Kwabena ill, but... desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures.

For whatever reason, Doug doesn't look terribly bothered by the notion of -more- Sentinels. There's the slightest arch of an eyebrow, followed by a wry grin. "Oh really...? So that's -probably- what Trask has been up to. Him, or the people who took him..." the blond muses.

Attention shifts towards the mansion, then back at Kwabena. "I'll get that information on the Sentinels. One way or another." Already thinking... the only way Magneto could stop him from hacking into the Sentinels was to shield them magnetically from communications, but if he did -that-... no external commands were going to get in either. And if he did that... well, it wasn't as though Sentinels were -sentient-...

While Doug may be gung ho to get the information on Master Mold, Kwabena seems startled. "Wait," he starts. "Just... hold on a second."

Reaching up, Kwabena scratches at the back of his bald head for a moment. "It may not be dat easy," he apologizes. "If you go searching for dat info, Magneto will know I've betrayed him. Dat could create some few... uh... problems down de line." He's going to be setting up a resistance cell in the bosom of the beast, after all.

"Just... be careful. Whatevah you do."

But he won't think anything about it if I looked from a different direction, would he?" Doug arches an eyebrow. "Tracking down Bolivar Trask can't possibly be connected with whatever you did..."

Tapping his chin, Doug nods slowly, as he glances back towards Kwabena. "We're going to have to find a way to communicate, between Xavier's and Genosha. And I'm not even sure how much range Rachel and Jean have with their telepathy..."

"Good point," answers Kwabena, eyes glimmering with mirth. "Just do what you can to protect me, okay? I mean, for de team's sake..." Gulp. "And mine."

Magneto came close to tearing him apart at the molecular level when he showed Kwabena how to attain a state of living plasma. What if he decided not to hold back?

"It will be very important," he agrees, "and we can't necessarily rely on whatevah satellite communications are established dere." He pauses, thoughtfully. "I wondah. Jean is pretty strong... but dat kind of telepathic power could raise some eyebrows within Magneto's camp. What if Jean, Rachel, and Betsy were able to create some kind of telepathic network? A web of sorts?" He laughs slightly. "I'm not too keen on how dat works, I only know dat when I hear a voice in my head, it's gonna hear whatevah I'm thinking next." He pauses. "Then again, I'm not even sure where Betsy stands with..."

He trails off then, remembering what had happened at the Stark Expo. Did his skin just grow a shade darker?

"I don't know either."

Blue eyes shifts towards Kwabena as he brings up Betsy. Doug quietly shrugs. "I can't say I really knew Betsy -before-, other than that she... well, I was with SHIELD most of that time you knew, uh... her, and..."

Shrugging, Doug shakes his head. "It's not really any of my business. Whatever she wants to share, she will."

Switching subjects rapidly, Doug glances back at the mansion. "So... we'll sort out what happens. I can't believe the X-Men are in this alone, though."

"Jean says it's not time to expose de X-Men to de world yet," Kwabena answers, though his voice seems slightly distracted. "I may not agree with her. I mean, dere are..." He stops, shaking his head. "But it's okay to disagree. It's not my call, I won't make it, so, we'll do what we're asked to do. Listen, Doug."

Kwabena had given himself plenty of time to think things over. He'd been on this road more than once, and after the encounter with Domino at the warehouse in Brooklyn, he wasn't about to let more friendships suffer. "Listen." He waits until he feels that he has Doug's full attention, and takes a deep breath to steady himself. "Whatevah dere might have been before..." He's not even sure if there was anything before. After that kiss in Latveria, she all but disappeared. "It was anodah life." He shakes his head. "It's none of my business eithah. It's just taken me some time to sort dat out."

He's being earnest enough, but there is a dark undertone to the way he speaks, as if he's beginning to accept that he may always be alone. Every time he's stopped holding people at arms length, he's been hurt.

Maybe Domino's third rule of survival isn't so bad, after all.

"It's not me you ought to be telling that to," Doug replies, eyes wide but troubled.

"It's her," he says softly. "Whatever happened was between you and... uh... you know, I have no idea what to make. All I know is, that's her -now-, as how she -used- to be, before she joined the X-Men."

Looking back towards the mansion, Doug nods briefly. "Just... well... I wouldn't push her."

"No," Kwabena quickly replies. His shield may have come down briefly, but in the blink of an eye, it's back again. "It was anodah life," he repeats, though his tone is more guarded, less earnest. "Just, you know." A grin forms. "No hard feelings, right, Cypher?" He reaches out to clap the guy on his shoulder, then promptly reaches into his pocket for that pack of smokes.

"No, I guess not," Doug smiles. "Now if you'll tell her -that-..." Eyebrows arched, Doug adds, "... also, since when did I start riding herd on Rachel and Jocelyn?"

"I might," Kwabena quips, but that's all he'll give in that regard. The change of subject is rather welcome, and as he sticks the cigarette in his mouth and clicks open his zippo, Kwabena smirks wryly. "Hey, beats de hell out of me. It was Rachel's idea to recommend you come along, but if you ask me, it was a damn good one." Pocketing the zippo, he blows the first puff of smoke away at a safe distance. "You might want to take dat up with dem," he suggests... mirthfully.

"No, I don't -think- so..." Doug shakes his head. "Kitty was telling me what Rachel did to her on that shopping trip, and all I can say is, that's gonna be a cold day in hell before _I_ go..." Jocelyn, he knew, was a charge of his as a Young X-Man, but Rachel... Rachel was one of Kitty's strays. What it meant for Rachel, he wasn't quite sure, but he had a feeling he'd find out in unexpected (and unwanted) ways.

Still smirking, Kwabena simply puffs on that cigarette while watching Doug's reaction, listening to his words, and trying very hard not to paint any bad pictures in his head. "I'm pretty sure I would avoid dat like de plague," he retorts. "I do well enough with my own shopping, I don't need three girls doing it for me. Don't care which ones have graduated or not." The last thing Kwabena needs, it would seem, is fashion sense.

Especially since he's standing outside a gigantic mansion in what equates to spandex, smoking a cigarette. Nope, doesn't need the fashion help at all.