2014.06.20 - Sanctuary

It is an old top secret exit, known only in theory to the Lord Imperial, but in the old superstitious days before Shaw took over, where it was all ritual and the like. Shaw knows of it, and a small amount of security with an alarm. Since, in theory it might be needed. Only instead of using it to get out, someone has used it to get in. Bypassing all the external sensors, cameras, mass sensors and magical wards like they weren't even there, and passed deep into the heart of the Metroplolis Hellfire Club.

And he is standing there, quickly surrounded by six members of security, standing quite calmly. He is handsome, devastatingly so, with long white curling locks, a top hat and an old style tuxedo with a large cane with a sphinx like creature on it with four wings. He is waiting quite calmly.

A message has been sent to Shaw, simply stating, "Your weapons will do little to me. Not before I kill you but in my current state it might harm me so let's be polite shall we? Fetch the Lord Imperorator. Tell him..." he writes on a piece of paper, "Better....bring this to him."

The message states that it is from Providence and that he still gives the Blessing. Might be meaningless to anyone else, but the sacred ritual book, the one all Lord Imperials knew, has a passage that starts like that that all of them are meant to know...seemed nonsensical, a legacy from the days of the Deists and masons where they did things like that. And yet here he is. When Sebastian Shaw is informed he is in a private conference. Which considering his fiance is in Europe more than likely means something specific. So the Hellfire Knight who brought the message had to go through Tessa, Black Princess and personal assistant to Sebastian Shaw for over ten years now.

Tessa reads it for a moment before contacting Shaw through a telepathic link. It would be a few more moments before the Lord Imperial of the Hellfire Club for the last ten years leaves his private chambers dressed in a lime green robe with golden trim and a pair of shorts. Closing the robe as he walked out he looked at Tessa and said nothing but the message as perfectly clear. Tessa walked into his chambers and the doors closed behind her.

He looked at the Hellfire Knight and said, "Bring me to him. And then do not disturb us. And find out who let him get through that tunnel and bring me their heads."

The Knight looked at Shaw and said, "Literally?"

Shaw gave him an intense look and the man balked at him. Apparently, he was deadly seriously. When Shaw was finally brought before the man he didn't look even remotely pleased, "Who are you. And how do you know any of the things that were written on that message you gave to me."

"Because I'm the one who wrote them." He considers a moment, "The problem, Sebastian, with abandoning the old ways that seem to have no significance, is that sometimes, in fact, they do. You know the world is full of magic, you've warded against it several ways, but since I'm literally at the foundation of the institution you base them on, they don't really work too well on me." He considers, "There are things I can tell you and things I can't. I am bound, but hypothetically, let us imagine a great big house where the owner lives upstairs, and all his servants keep the house in order, but he doesn't want to trouble his guests, so he tells his servants not to mention him at all, and the guests go about their lives, utterly unaware of the servants going on about their business."

"Another anecdote really, did you know that in the OLD days, when men were more...pious...there was an idea that only the right people should have wealth and power, because they were MEANT to have it, because that was what Heaven intended to for them to have. So, Sebastian, before you ask me more questions, consider this an opportunity, one of those moments where you can scratch my back and I can help you...but the tone, literally that you strike will affect more things than you can imagine." He looks like he wants to say more, but isn't...or can't.

Shaw's anger expression lightened a bit. If anything so far the fool is an entertaining fool. Ripping off his head and shoving up his own ass would probably be a fun little game to play later.

See Sebastian Shaw is a complicated man, especially when it came to his religious beliefs. He was raised Methodist but lost his faith the day his father died. He had of course read of this Economic God in the books of the Hellfire Club. Even read a bit about it in his Great Grandfather's journal, and that man was the Sorcerer Supreme... supposedly. And he had kept to the Old ways for the most part. He didn't have much use for magic but as Karl Marx said, religion was the opiate of the masses and the rituals of the Hellfire Club were such delightful affairs. For now, he's humor what this man said was true. At the very least he had knowledge of the rituals of the Inner Circle and that intrigued him enough.

"Alright. Let us work in theoretical. Granted Mr. Luthor and Ms. Frost are much more scientific than me. And Ms. Oleneva is the sorceress. Jeannette is the true master of old ways. But you've come to me and the first question I would ask. As I would ask any man who sought me out is. Why?"

It's one question that is many questions, Why is he here? Why does he want to speak with Shaw? Why has he chosen this time? Why has he chosen this form? It's a question that seeks the most gain, for the littlest work. The Capitalism of Questions.

He growls in frustration, "This would be far easier, Sebastian, if you already knew what I am, who I am, then some of these ridiculous restrictions would be moot and we could speak plainly."

"So basically what you are saying is that the Ritual of Providence is entirely real and that you are in fact, the Angel that that ritual actually speaks of. Interesting," Shaw says as he walks over to the bar and pours himself a drink, "Can I get anything for you... mister... no."

He chuckles and says, "You'll have to forgive me, m'lord, I'm not exactly sure what the honorific for an Angel is. You are the first I've encountered in my time who didn't tape down his wings and that was actually just some rich boy mutant with too much money and not enough sense."

He is of course referring to the second generation member Warren Worthington the Third. He came up in the club with his father, and much like Anthony Stark, Alexander Luthor and Brian Braddock he saw little greatness in any of them. Just too much money they didn't earn.

"Regardless, would you like a drink?" he asked as he finished making his own scotch.

There is an audible sigh of relief as he nods and makes a gesture with his hand, "Yes Sebastian. Good lad. Since you already know I am Providence, I can of course discuss my status with you openly. Temperance would say an angel should not imbibe such a thing but since I'm, well, not 'fallen' but shall we say 'on probation' I say what the he....aven."

He sits down in a large leather chair, "Where to begin? I know what is in your books, so you know of 'The Economy' both the priests and the...thing. What you do not know is that this new one...this third...is...insane. He means to disrupt the natural order, and he is more of a threat than you can imagine. When I was chosen as arbiter of the protocols, this place was automatically included inside them. Even the priests of the Economy are bound by it. They have...had...no power here. But through a clever trick," technically his own sin but Providence isn't going to say that, "I have been placed on probation for doing something I should not. The old Economy died, killed, actually, which had the youngest step up...and old arrangements were ignored. The demon Mammon, of greed has also been...indisposed. The lesser powers know about him, but if they knew about me, I'd be vulnerable, and so would you. They can't see me here. This is neutral ground and none of them can harm here...as long as the enforcer of the treaty is in effect, but since I am...here....you see the problem."

"I seek Sanctuary. I seek shelter....I must remain here until I 'pass' or whatever it is the Mi...someone I can't tell you about...says I'm 'redeemed'. But he could have power here now, and I'm warning you, but you can get a step ahead...if you ask the right questions. There are many things I can't tell you."

He waits a minute and sighs, "oh and...do not call me 'mlord. Technically we're your servants since there was that whole war in heaven thing." The implication is that he's just fine with you calling him m'lord but he can't ask you to.

Shaw takes a drink of his scotch as he listened to the Angel's story. And by some miracle he was actually believing the story... to a certain degree. Shaw wasn't exactly an atheist but he did find accepting the possibility that there were actual angels and demons that fought a War in Heaven seemed a bit far fetched, "Alright m'lord. And I call you that out of respect, not servitude. I serve no man, god or devil. We will go back to the theoretical."

He inhaled sharply and then said, "If theoretically I believed everything you have said to me. I do have to wonder what exactly giving you sanctuary would entail and if it would bring me or mine any sort of harm."

He looked the Angel in the eyes, "You have to understand my loyalty is to my club and my people first. If granting you respite will bring harm to them, then it is not an offer that I can even table."

The angel smiles, "Well as long as I don't step foot outside of here, no harm can come to you because they're afraid of me and won't know I'm here. I should know, I designed the wards. Even then, none of them bear you ill will, though some of them are opportunists, they are gods of wealth after all. What do you do when one of your opponents is vulnerable? Sometimes you do the obvious, sometimes...' he gestures at himself, "You wisely consider other possibilities. I'd just need quarters, a room. Time is what I need, time to figure out leverage. Heaven has too many messes and I'm too good at cleaning them up. Your loyalty to your people is why we are having this conversation. Which reminds me actually, as a token of good will, Warren, one of your members, is a target of the second one. He's back from the dead...and means to harm him. Don't know how, he came back after I lost my omniscience."

He sips the Scotch, "How...delightful."

"The question isn't so much 'are your people in danger while I am here' but...'shouldn't you do everything in your power to get me back to where I can continue protecting you from all the things you don't know about?' I can't lie. I can't break my word. You want me keeping my word Sebastian."

Sebsatian Shaw considered for a moment. He had to admit having a fallen angel that owed him would be very lovely. Especially if that angel was brought back to grace. Nothing wins a game much like divine intervention. Just ask all those horrible movies and shows from the late 80s and early 90s.

"I believe something could be arranged for you. There are after all over forty bedrooms in the Club after all. And that protection can easily be spread to the Dublin, Hong Kong, Moscow and Cape Town clubs. London and Berlin and Toyko... I don't hold the same sway."

Their was a pregnant pause and that meant the but was coming.

"But. I would be a very bad businessman to make such a deal without seeing some sort of proof of your intentions. Or at the very least, proof that a favor to you will translate into my good favor at a later date.

"Of course. My intentions are to return to Heaven...well technically my office in Purgatory, but the Bureau of Temporal Blessings, to resume doing all the things I promise in the Ritual of Providence...you know? The blessings of the wealth of the earth, for the righteous of God's chosen?" He looks around, "How's that working out for you so far?"

He puts the scotch down and smiles, "But proof is demanded. You've access to sorcerers." He hands you a vial of crystal blue liquid, "Angel Tears. Very powerful. Mine. Have anyone you like test them. This many in one place can't be found...unless, perhaps an Angel gives them to you. I'll also submit to tests if you wish to run them. And I'll also answer any questions you like that I can answer....like what the Economy really is. I cannot tell you who, but I can give you pieces, and clues about how to deal with him."

Shaw takes the vial and looks at it, "And all I was going to ask you to do was turn water into wine. Our Black Rook is probably going to be very grateful when I hand her these. Which immediately puts you in my favor."

Granted the Black Rook wasn't too hard to please, her libido was... sufficient. But it was nice to have more to bring to the plate, "The Angel tears alone will be sufficient, to be honest, for indefinite asylum. Hell, I'd put you on the Inner Circle for that to be honest if I thought it was something you would or even could accept."

Shaw walked over to a book case in the room and pulled a book, it slide aside revealing a computer of some variety "As for proving what you are that part is easy. I'm an engineer. I see a problem, I devise the solution. It is what made me my fortune after all. Well that and mining. This device here is a genetic scanner. I built it originally for a project of mine for the US government. Kept my own much more sensitive version for myself."

He walked back to the bar and poured them both a new drink, "If you are willing to submit to a genetic scan, a purely harmless and noninvasive procedure we can sort the last part out. It can read, humans, metahumans, mutants, magics and everything else comes up alien/unknown. It even does partial matches."

"Well...you're welcome to scan me of course...I don't have genes, or protein, or really even matter as you conceive of it, but, by all means." He provides Shaw with a length of hair from his head, "Test away."

With a few button pressed by Shaw the scan was completed, there was no beam of light or any noise or anything. Shaw just looks at the screen there and says, "Occurring to this: There is one mutant in the room. And..."

Shaw pressed a button and the book shelf moved back in place. He finished off his fresh drink in one swallow. He was a man of evidence. A Capitalist. He went to bar again and poured his third drink, he took a sip of it and then said, "And I'm the only person in the room. And since the only person who could possibly defeat this technology so easily, besides me and Emma Frost, is Anthony Stark. I am convinced that you are who you say you are now."

Providence wrinkles his nose, "Anthony Stark flies against conventional wisdom too much for my tastes. There is to be an order to things. A pace to things. He upsets it."

He considers, "I can tell you much. But there is much I cannot tell you. Ask questions, and I shall answer them as best I can. Riddles mainly, I'm afraid, that is the manner of this sort of thing."

Shaw shook his head, "M'lord. I'm not one to cheat fate or the cheat destiny. I do not believe in those concepts. To me, those concepts are more foreign than the idea that I am literally talking to one of the Divine Chorus. And I will be researching your Enochian name in the coming days"

Shaw poured a new drink for his new friend and said, "Now the rest of the Lords Cardinal will probably have questions. I know Emma and the younger Luthor are both atheists and would love to grill you for more information."

He thinks a second and hands his new friend his drink. He then says, "And probably watch every answer you have looking for contradictions to throw at you. I don't care about that sort of thing."

"I am a man of pragmatism, I built all I have out of nothing and I understand that one day it will return to nothing. I'm in my sixties, but even my own mutant power will not keep me young and healthy forever. I believe in the things I can see, feel and taste. Tangible things. Things that matter."

He looks at the Angel and says, "I swear by my position as the Lord Imperial of the Hellfire Club, as my honor as a man that you will be safe here and in any wall I call my own. You will sup as you will, take joy as you will. As you harm none, you may do as you will. This I vow on my honor, on the honor of my father and the honor of my family."

Shaw knew that oaths had power, that's why he hated a promise breaker so much, "So my last and only question I have for you m'lord Providence is, do you require the pleasures of the flesh? Because I know there are many with these walls who would love to boast that they fucked an angel."

Providence considers a moment. "You know, technically that's a horrible idea, but as I said, I'm quasi fallen. I know I'm not getting out of this by virtue but because I do things that need doing but don't go all demonic...Let us merely say, 'I'm curious' and leave it at that. I mean, I see it all of course, but would like to see what the fuss is all about.'

An oaths did have power. Honor was the power of the spiritual realm.