2014.03.07 - Another Guest at the Fortress

The explosive energy thrown in excess all about the Fortress attracted interest; the release of that magnitude was a fascinating spike. While it took some time, Apocalypse has decided to investigate the site personally. After having moved to a more local base, the ancient mutant launched swiftly towards the Fortress.

The stealthy, very shielded inspection of the exterior takes only a brief time, before interest in the energy patterns left on the building itself promises far better readings. With a small, hovering droid-like sphere close to his elbow, the ancient mutant is silent after his breach of the facility. The extensive damage is quietly studied, but the computers are first priority. Camouflaged white as the exterior, but otherwise making no effort to conceal his identity, he will approach the computers, and directly attempt to interface with it by resting a hand on the console, arm and hand morphing and flowing with the activation of his technopathy, eyes partially lidded, needing to focus on the task at hand.

It's pretty boring to a kid, lying in a high-intensity sunbath. There really isn't much to do but just lie there, and let his body heal. He slept a lot at first, through the worst of the pain, but now he's to the point of feeling like he's just been through a sparring session with his mother, he's awake and boredom is starting to kick in. So, his curiosity is piqued as soon as he hears the human heartbeat somewhere nearby. The fact that this human seems to be going to pains to be quiet just adds to his curiosity. So, he gets up and starts limping out towards the main room. Whether any alarms go off or not, he's arriving just as the camouflaged figure is interfacing with the computer. He lifts into the air immediately, "Who are you?" Given how bruised and battered he is, let alone his age, he doesn't make much of an intimidating sight.

Lacking a way of keeping track of the Fortress while he is out, all Superman can hope to do is drop in from time to time to check on the recovering Lor-Zod. As, clad in his Stark-build powered suit, he speeds across the tundra his auditory sensors pick up the noise from the Fortress. He kicks the speed up several notches, cape fluttering noisily behind him as he makes straight for the crystalline structure in the middle of the ice.

Apocalypse doesn't pause in what he's doing, but does turn his head and upper body partially towards the youngster that floats into the main room. The white body tone immediately drops, flows off him in a shapeshifter's ripple, leaving his natural gray skin tone, and revealing the cybernetic nature of his current garb: vest, belt, pants, and strange gauntlets that hook into his elbows and arms. Leads from left elbow, silvery cyborg additions, caress the computer. "You may call me En Sabah Nur, and you are?" Apocalypse states to Lor'Zod without any appearance of anything but calm, and authority. As if he belonged here. But perhaps in his mind, he does. "I noticed an extreme battle here. I want to know the source of the heavy dark energy," he answers. "What is this place?" he asks. It isn't too demanding, it's fairly conversational, but carries a heavy weight of the power that the big mutant tends to naturally evoke.

Lor-Zod blinks at the conversational tone. He'd been expecting confrontational or defensive. "I'm Lor-Zod," he answers, in that moment of confusion. Then, when Apocalypse practically confirms he's an intruder, he says, "This is a private home." He doesn't say whose home it is, though that answer will likely be coming in a moment anyway. "You shouldn't be here."

"He's right," Superman calls as he glides into the Fortress, arms crossing over his chest, "You shouldn't be here."

He hovers a few feet above the floor, cape fluttering behind him and the glowing blue eyepieces of the suit fixed on Apocalypse.

"You're trespassing, En Sabah Nur."

"Hm," Apocalypse answers to Lor-Zod's admission of name, and looks entirely unmoved by the other comments about the structure itself being a home. Perhaps those didn't answer his question to his satisfaction; his expression is vague. He'll speak relatively slowly, as if he had lots of time to explain. Even as Superman arrives he doesn't seem to hurry, with a thoughtful tone entering his voice. "I chose to /overlook/ potential privacy in the interest of what happened here, IF it was Darkseid---, because what happens to the people of this planet, I consider much my business."

While he talks, the little drone connects with feeds into his wrist gauntlet, humming softly. It doesn't look menacing, more like some kind of probe or monitor. "I would have already left, but it appears this system needs considerable repairs, and suffered a number of deleted or corrupted sections; I don't know if they're recoverable, yet -- it looked worth investigating." The various tentacle-like leads off his arm shift and change, many of them resembling various tools and intricate leads, many of the tips lit with energy. That Apocalypse has expectation of using the tools directly on a ruined-looking section of the console is likely extremely obvious. "But perhaps you prefer to investigate alone," Apocalypse questions. He doesn't seem particularly offended.

Lor-Zod looks back as Superman arrives, and visibly relaxes a little. He looks back to En Sabah Nur, and asks, "You're fighting Darkseid too?" Other than this question, however, he backs up a bit and lets Superman do most of the talking. This is his home, after all.

"You'll forgive me but we don't know you from Adam," Superman says plainly, landing and moving to stand nearer to Lor, "We're not about to trust you prying into our computers."

He squares his shoulders, possessing all the confidence of Superman even without the powers to back it up, "Whatever you're doing ... stop now."

"Ah. Many do know of me," Apocalypse says, as if he had expected them to recognize him similarly to his recognition of Superman. "But perhaps not so many within this century." All of the tools and facets flip backwards and melt into his wrist and guantlet immediately. The other hand which has... by all accounts looking as if it's merged into the computer, begins to reassemble. "Withdrawing leads," Apocalypse states, tone more on the chilly side. The little drone slides sideways up away from elbow and merges into his shoulder, as if the shoulder spread to /eat/ it, the mass of the thing seeming to just be added to Apocalypse. "I have not decided if fighting Darkseid is appropriate, yet. I prefer informed decisions... and I do not 'know him from Adam'." It isn't sarcastic, he sounds direct, if a little bit more closed than when Lor first said 'hello'.

Lor-Zod glances to Superman, but when Apocalypse does as instructed he doesn't say anything. His eyes widen a little as he watches Apocalypse absorb the technology, and he starts to look in the X-ray spectrum, curious how much of this man is even human. To the topic at hand, however, he says, "You could have just asked, you know, politely, instead of breaking into that computer."

"I don't think he's the asking type."

Superman frowns, the faceplate of his suit sliding away to reveal stern features and blue eyes critically narrowed at the mutant.

"Given that you're the second uninvited guest here in under a week, I hope you'll understand my being wary."

Looking at Apocalypse via that method is probably really very interesting, but not extremely informative. Except that he's both a human and a machine in some insane description of cyborg that involves extremely complicated systems of biology mixed hand in hand with all kinds of materials, many of them non-organic. 'Human' is entirely inaccurate no matter what: he's a mutation on a massive level, and it's impossible to find any human parts that are 'normal.' Energy pulses and redirects within the system, constantly.

"More that I wanted to see the reaction," Apocalypse agrees, no issue with being judged. "How your kind interacts. The readings of the energy here was not the only thing I hoped to learn about." Apocalypse explains smoothly, openly. And finally withdraws his hand entirely from the computer, flexing the fingers, and turns an extensive amount of attention and focus on the pair of aliens. "From -my- perspective, you are more similar, as an outsider, to Darkseid than I am. Perhaps you can understand why I would wish to evaluate." Very neutral, very pragmatic. He does move, his huge body carrying him a good distance with each stride, to start away from the computers.

Lor-Zod blinks again as he switches his eyes back to normal view as Apocalypse begins to move, and he floats back a little further, to make sure he has a clear path to the exit. "We're nothing like Darkseid, except for the fact we're not human. We're not his species either."

"Except I'm not in your living room up to my elbows in your laptop," Superman answers, the last weeks have been trying and it shows in his less-than-even temper.

"I think we've been nice enough. I think it's time for you to leave now that you've found what you wanted to find."

He glances sidelong at Lor, nodding his head in a single, quick nod of approval.

The comments get a chuckle, and smile out of Apocalypse. It's not the prettiest smile with his mutated jawline, but perhaps ugliness will be overlooked. If the retort was intended to insult, it seems to have done the opposite! "/Indeed/. But were you able to repair my broken 'laptop', I might be forgiving about it. ...Well. I hope you remain passionate. May it fuel your strength," Apocalypse says, the chill dropping off his tone for perhaps the first time, and perhaps even crossing towards friendly. He approves of the annoyance at him. "Even with a cursory test of the residual /parasitic/ energy that did this--- I suspect you will need every bit of it." He walks toward the exit, without hurrying. "Should you have interest in my expertise on energy, you may find me through Magneto," he adds. "But I commend standing alone against huge odds." He'll go, without issue or fight.

Lor-Zod turns to keep facing Apocalypse as he leaves, and doesn't fully relax until the mutant is gone. He doesn't say anything until then, either. Only once Apocalypse is gone does he comment to Superman, "Ok, that was weird."

"You're telling me," Superman murmurs to Lor, looking sidelong at Apocalypse.

As the ancient mutant leaves, however, the Last Son of Krypton clears his throat and speaks.

"I'm not alone in this. You'll see that before too long. And if you've got any love for this planet you're living on then you'd throw your weight behind us, too. Darkseid won't stop."

Apocalypse did hear: the slight incline back of head before he left in a roar of something similar to a jet in energy blasts showed that. But now, he's gone, and if he'll put his weight against Darkseid remains to be seen.

Lor-Zod watches Apocalypse fly off, and then sets back down on the ground. He looks back up to Superman and says, "Sorry, I didn't know what to do when I saw him. Thought at first maybe it was someone from the League I hadn't met yet."

"You did the right thing," Superman answers in his best reassuring tone, "I get the feeling there's a lot more to En Sabah Nur than meets the eye. Keeping our distance but standing our ground was probably our best bet. He's nobody I've ever seen before"

"But come on," he adds, turning his attention now to Lor, "You're still hurt and you still need to recover. I know it's boring but back in the sunbath. The longer you spend in there the quicker you can get back on your feet."

Lor-Zod sighs and looks unhappy about going back, but he turns to start limping back towards the sun bath. "Alright. I guess I do want to be ready for whatever happens next. Don't want to be stuck in here if there's an invasion happening or something."