Earlier that Day, in the Genoshan Hill Country:

"You had better not have brought me out here for no good reason, Kleinstocks." Carmella Unuscione half-snarled. "I don't appreciate having my time wasted." Despite being towered over by the huge triplets, they practically cowered before her.

"... there's some mutants who want to, uh, talk to you." One of them- Sven, perhaps, finally managed to stammer out as he stood aside to show a small band of mutants dressed in what she took as idiotically elaborate costumes. "Say they're here to liberate the pens, with us. Today."

Unuscione narrowed her eyes at the group. "Where the hell did you come from? You don't look like you're from the camps, or even the city." A towering exoskeleton of crackling green energy formed around her. "You'd best make that explanation a quick one."

"Oh, lighten up." Raven teased with a faint smirk. "You must not get the foreign news much up in these hills. Or you'd know exactly who sent us." Her features shifted into the visage of Magneto before turning back into her own. "We're the Brotherhood of Mutants, well, some of us. There are others with Magneto himself, advancing on the capital."

"You think that you can just come here- assuming you're telling the truth and end all this in a single day? Do you have any idea what it's even been like here in Genosha?" Carmella's exoskeleton crackled around her, growing more opaque as she grew angier. "Why should I even believe a word you say?"

"Because if you do not, your one opportunity for liberation at the hands of Lord Magneto is wasted. We will remember who stood with us and who refused to answer the clarion call for action." Exodus's voice was mild compared to Unuscione's, but it was accompanied by an utter conviction the Genoshan couldn't match. His gaze met hers and, instantly, her exoskeleton fizzled away into nothingness. "Save your wrath for our common enemy. Such is Lord Magneto's will."

Unuscione looked as stunned as the other Genoshans did at Exodus's sudden show of power. She managed to recover quickly, though. "Yeah, well, you'll still need people who actually know the country. The biggest slave pens in the country are about five miles march from here. Treacherous terrain."

"Visualize the location." Exodus replied. "Hold in your thoughts, wherever you and your kin have gone to observe the camp. Show me where we need to go, and we shall be there, immediately. This is a war that has been delayed too long."

"Best do what Ser Valiant asks." Raven replied with a smirk. "Whatever he lacks in imagination, he more than possesses in raw power."

Unuscione simply nodded, seemly humbled for the moment and recalled the location of the Genoshan slave camps as best she could. A few seconds later, in a brilliant flash of light, she was there, with her fellow fighters and with the foreigners from Magneto's Brotherhood. She looked down and realized the camps were almost totally dark. She turned toward Raven, looking for explanation.

"Magneto, honeybunch. Lights are out all over the country." Raven grinned and cocked an impressively large gun. "Let's roll, motherfuckers."

Off the Genoshan Coast:

Admiral Kimmel stared out at the expanse of ocean before him. Though he couldn't see it, he knew that Genosha wasn't far away. He also knew that at any time, he could get the order to attack. The Genoshan airforce was a fairly modern one, but he doubted they had anything that could cope with the next-generation fighters that the Enterprise could bring to bear. He had the firepower to bring Genosha to its knees in hours, and somewhere in the oceans, not far from him, was another carrier, the slightly older but still powerful Nimitz, and with both of the carriers were several support vessels. Somewhere underneath the surface, as well, was a ballistic missile submarine, equipped with both conventional and nuclear weaponry.

"Think the Genoshans realize how completely screwed they are?" Commander Thompkins asked the admiral as a few airplanes returned from their reconnaissance flights.

The Admiral sipped his coffee. "I'm not sure what they realize. My estimation of their common sense pretty much stopped when I heard they'd been kidnapping American citizens. Still, it'd be better if they do. We have the power to win, but we'll take casualties, for sure, if it comes to fighting. Genoshans are tough."

It was then that that an urgent message came up on the bridge controls. The Admiral put it on audio.

"Sir, all communications infrastructure on the Genoshan mainland is down. Our own sensors seem to be blocked by electromagnetic interference. Long-range sensors are indicating that the disruption is coming from a singular sour-" The transmission cut out immediately, to be replaced by another one, from a chillingly familiar voice.

"Admiral, no doubt you are wondering what is happening." Magneto's voice rang out across the deck, in a commanding baritone that suggested the old and refined cultures of Central Europe, but also of iron determination and endless confidence in his own power. "Let me be clear. The Genoshan regime's time is numbered, not in days as you would imagine it, but in hours and minutes."

"Cut the rhetoric, Magneto." Admiral Kimmel replied. "If you can hear me, you'll tell me plainly what the hell you're up to."

"I am liberating the island of Genosha, emptying its prisons and tearing down its slave camps. But do not fear, Admiral. I have chosen to interpret the actions of your President as being motivated by a genuine desire to help the Genoshan people. Thusly, I give you a priceless gift. Your lives. Still, I cannot have you interfere with my work here on this island. Your vessels will all be disabled for a period of twenty-four hours, after which your power will be fully restored. Should you choose to intervene, however, I will be forced to defend myself with deadly force."

The Admiral had no time to curse or say anything else before the power duly shut down on the carrier, with the emergency power only restoring the most basic functions. They were as good as helpless in whatever Magneto planned. Well, damn.

Near the Presidential Citadel:

"Lights went out." Rogue took a breath. "Magneto's taken care of the main army facilities. We'll be going in any time now."

Kayla nodded, looking around the corner. "Surprised nobody's seen us yet."

"Too distracted by the other things Magneto's pulled. Hey … I never got much of a chance to ask, but since we're about to go right up into it, we okay? How are you doing?" Rogue asked.

"... I'm okay." Kayla replied, slightly awkwardly, but sincerely enough. "We're friends, right?"

"Friends." Rogue smiled. "Friends that are about to open up a can of kickass on these jackasses." She whistled. "Hey chumps! Y'all know where you need to be. We're backup and distraction." Her fists balled up, and she realized that she didn't have a stirring catchphrase.

"What're you bitches waiting for? FREEDOM!" Kayla promptly cried out, waving out towards the Genoshan street, then knocking over an armoured personnel vehicle with one of her shockwaves. "FREEDOM FOR MUTANTS!"

"... yeah. That'll do." Rogue quietly said to herself as she streaked out of their rendezvous point, slamming into a tank with her shoulder and tipping it over. The immediate outbreak of fire didn't scare her. Bullets felt like rain. The high-powered rounds from the sniper didn't hurt any worse than a little hail on a summer night. She looked up at the nest and streaked up towards it, slamming into the shooting gallery, bricks and glass and steel breaking like styrofoam under her, their guns gloriously ineffective, her own blows felling them like the harvest. She hurtled down below into a crowd of armoured infantry, scattering them like bowling pins.

'Hey, you ladies should be saving some for us." Pyro smirked as he whipped up a colossal wall of flame which cleared the streets of more soldiers. It was then that they noticed the huge gate that marked the way to the Presidential Palace, with the Genoshan national insignia splashed across it.

"... hey Kayla, think you could do some redecoratin'?" Rogue hollered out as she sent an armoured personnel carrier hurtling down the street towards a crowd of terrified soldiers.

"My fuckin' pleasure." Kayla replied with a grim smile as she summoned up the largest shockwave she could, which hurtled into the gate, sending it crashing to the ground, the metal insignia crushing and warping underneath the shockwave's power.

Rogue couldn't help but grin. "All right, y'all, let's go in and say hi to the Boss."

X-Mansion:

Scott watched the news, having to suppress the urge to simply blast the television into smithereens. He stood up in the middle of the broadcast, however facing the others with a grim expression on his face.

"War Room. Fifteen minutes. Full uniform." Scott said in a blunt tone of voice before going downstairs presumably to change into uniform and get ready for the meeting.

"... good. Maybe we're finally gonna do somethin' other than watch Magneto do whatever he wants." Logan growled as he lit up a cigar. "Worth puttin' on that dumbass uniform on, even."

"... eww, do you really need to smoke those gross things inside, Logan?" Kitty wrinkled her nose as she got up.

Logan smirked. "Sure do …" He suddenly glared at Ororo as a tiny raincloud put out his cigar neatly. "..." He just shook his head and went up to get his uniform. The rest of the group got up to find their uniforms and get ready for the meeting in the War Room.

Which left Remy. "So … I don't have a uniform. I take it that means, Remy stay home an' watch the kids?" The silence from the others just made him shrug as he changed the channel to something better. Got to make sure I tell Magneto before they get there, though. They're fools to be thinking they can fight him. Nobody can fight Magneto.

"... you will not be left here alone with them, I assure you." Ororo said dryly as she got up to leave, casting him a suspicious little look as she got up and left.

Oh she likes me. I just know it.

Remy cast a look around as all the others left and leaned back. If he left right now, it might look suspicious, so he decided he'd just watch the football game for a little while before going off to tell Magneto to expect company. Half-time's in twenty minutes. And it's the Saints. Should be supportin' the home team.

Upstate New York:

Jean Grey had a monstrous headache- the sort that she remembered all too well from when her psychic powers were developing as a young girl. She hadn't had them for years, until recently, when her powers had begun developing further and further and the Phoenix had begun to manifest itself. Whatever exactly it is.

Her fingers idly thumbed over a paper business card in her hand, one she'd been handed by Dr. Essex- he'd been her doctor all through her childhood. In fact, it had been him who'd originally suggested that her parents speak with Charles Xavier following Annie's death. Over the years he'd cared for her, he'd become good friends with her family. It wasn't unusual for them to have dinner. He was one of a very, very few people whom she and her family had trusted with the revelation that she was a mutant.

He told me that this time, all I need to do is talk. Just to give him one change, an hour-long session. Nathan could tell that I've been upset. Jean remembered him furrowing his brow in concern. The doctor was practically family- Jean felt closer to him than she did to some of her own aunts and uncles. He told me this man could be trusted with anything. Absolute confidentiality.

How can a psychologist actually help me, though? This is real, this isn't a delusion, and talking about my feelings won't make Phoenix go away.

Do I want Phoenix to go away? Is it right? Is Phoenix even separate from me?

Jean flipped over the card and looked at it. Apparently, the therapist that Nathan had suggested was one Johann Fennhoff. Germanic-sounding name. I'm pretty sure that's on TVTropes somewhere. She'd run a Google search on him, trying to find details- she'd found a few well-received books, three Therapist of the Year awards from a prestigious European body and a YouTube channel from an extremely satisfied former patient. One hour. Maybe it will be good to talk, if nothing else.

Fine, Dr. Fennhoff. You'll have your hour.

Xavier Institute, War Room:

Scott Summers stood as everyone else sat down, bringing up a three-dimensional map of Genosha on the table above them, with reddened points indicating the apparent points where Magneto had attacked. He still looked a little paler than normal, and he hadn't shaved today but there was a grim determination on his face.

"Magneto has attacked and taken over the island of Genosha. As far as we know, the American naval blockade remains active, but no further moves have been made. If he's allowed a chance to consolidate his power, he won't have a few dozen followers anymore, but millions, potentially." The unspoken fear, of course, is that he would be effectively untouchable. "We know charismatic Magneto is. We know how bad things were there, I think we have to assume his message will find a great many sympathetic hearers."

Logan grinned slightly ferally. "Preemptive strike, then? Pretty dangerous move, Scotty." Sharp canines flashed. "Might not be comin' back from that one, even if it works." It was clear though that Logan wanted precisely that.

Scott took a breath. "That's a distinct possibility, I won't deny that. I don't think we can grant Magneto the chance to establish his power there."

Kitty leaned back, a determined look on her face. "... let's talk about the actual plan. I don't think we need to argue why Magneto is a bad guy."

"I disagree." Piotr said quietly, and even when Kitty half-whirled around to stare at him, he remained unflinching. "I think it is very important to discuss. I do not trust Magneto, either, but these Genoshans, they kidnapped mutants and made them slaves. What happens if we win? Is there chaos? Or do the Genoshans regain power?"

"... Piotr raises an important point, Scott." Ororo spoke calmly. "This is not like the past, when Magneto was trying to steal missiles to threaten cities with. Millions of people will look to him as a liberator."

"I know guys like this, Stormy." Logan interjected. "Magneto ain't never gonna be content with one island. He'll want the whole damn world."

"I mean, no offense, Ororo, but yeah, Magneto's kinda insane in the membrane there. I mean, the Genoshans were super shitty, but we're talking about a guy who has basically unlimited ambition. I mean, he does not mess around." Bobby sighed. "I think the problem's more … practical, as in, how the hell do we actually beat the guy? Scott, back me up here. Did we ever actually defeat the guy because we were more powerful or smarter or whatever?"

"We're a lot more powerful than the old team used to be, Bobby." Scott replied firmly. "And just because something is hard doesn't mean it can't or shouldn't be done. The Brotherhood should be dispersed around the country, keeping an eye on the freed mutants, hunting down resistance, any number of things. We go into the Presidential Palace, straight for him. Take him down and out before he knows what hit him."

"Oh yes, that will work nicely. In our big metal airplane with our giant metal Russian and our fucking metal-plated Canadian here. Oh yes, brilliant." Betsy glared at them. "Don't be daft. We won't surprise him. And I'm inclined to agree with Piotr. Frankly, maybe he's done us all a great fucking favor."

"Elisabeth is right. The element of surprise is not something you can count on. Not now. He fully expects that someone will be coming after him shortly." Xavier spoke up as he entered the War Room. "Scott, I understand that the X-Men are your responsibility, but I implore you to reconsider. Allow me to speak to Erik, personally. There may yet be a time when the X-Men need to go to Genosha to challenge Magneto, but it is not now."

"Charles, what do you think will actually be accomplished by talking to him? He's conquered an entire country." Scott's jaw set. "He won't stop there, and you know it."

"What do you think will be accomplished by sending people who cannot agree on a common purpose to fight an enemy who is powerful, experienced and who can rely on an uncountable number of devoted allies?" Xavier countered. "There is a point at which bravery becomes suicide."

Scott's jaw clenched even harder and the room went dead silent. He looked at everyone in turn and then realized, that, Charles is right. We can't even agree. We're hardly a team at all. Betsy's right. We aren't going to get the drop on him. And … Piotr has a point. We simply don't know. "... we're running group training in half an hour. We start training every day. Professor, you can speak with Magneto if you want, but I think we both know how that's going to go." On that note, Scott turned around and left the room, ostensibly to program the mission but also because he didn't feel like being around anyone else for a short while.

"... well, guess that solved the question of who's really in charge." Logan took out a cigar and started to light it before it was snatched out of his hands. "Hey!"

"Don't be a dickface." Kitty glared at him, before throwing away the cigar and lighter to the other side of the room. She stood up herself and looked around the room. "And that applies to the rest of you too. Some fucking team we are, bickering like a bunch of little kids. How are we going to save the world when we're all like this?"

She turned around to face the Professor. "And really? Really? In public like that? So let's add a little public humiliation to everything else he's had to go through. I hope your conversation with Magneto goes really well."

"Katya …" Piotr started, reaching out a hand to her shoulder, only to have her wrench it away from him.

"Don't touch me. I don't want to be calmed down." Her face set in a grim expression. "I'll see you all at training." And with that, Kitty phased through the wall.

"So, she's totally right. We really suck, guys." Bobby finally said, breaking another long awkward silence.

X-Men Danger Room:

It was safe to say that there was real tension in the air as the X-Men filed into the Danger Room. Ororo could see it written clear as day in the faces of everyone present. This will not go well. Even the people who had seemed to be able to maintain some positivity in view of the meeting had soured since. Not even Kurt seemed to be able to spare her a smile- most of the rest of the room looked like they were being lined up for execution, with the significant exception of Kitty, who looked like she was liable to be the executioner. Ororo didn't need to be a telepath to pick up the powerful vibe of anger and disgust emanating from the younger girl.

And then there was Scott, whose pale, worn expression had changed into something. He too was angry, though there was an unhealthy mix of depression, embarrassment and desperation in there too. But then he set his jaw and it was clear that he was only interested, right now, in the business at hand. The scene faded into a nighttime scene near the Presidential Palace.

"Storm, get airborne and give us some cover. Shadowcat and Nightcrawler, I want you two to to run recon. Go through the wall, go opposite directions and report back on what you see. Iceman, I want you to stay close to Storm. Back her up if she needs it. Psylocke, Wolverine, Colossus, when Shadowcat's done recon, you go in with me. Once we're well inside, Storm, Iceman, you come with us. Psylocke, I want you to look for a blank space. Magneto's helmet blocks telepathy- you might be able to pick it up as a conspicuously blank area.

Nothing other than finding Magneto and taking him down matters. We brush by any Brotherhood members if we can. Eyes on the prize." Scott nodded quietly and Storm took to the skies, summoning up a storm and a dense fog that would do for some cover. Kurt and Kitty went through the wall quietly. Piotr armored up and Logan popped his claws. Betsy closed her eyes and started concentrating.

A moment later, Kurt and Kitty appeared on their side of the wall, both shaking their heads. So far so good, Scott thought, but he was less than convinced that it wasn't actually some sort of trap. In any case, however, they had to go in. He nodded at Piotr, who kicked down a large section of the wall almost effortlessly. And then they were in. Betsy then pointed towards the left and they went down the left. Not long afterwards, Ororo and Bobby would be following them.

The sheer quietness of it all nagged at him. He'd selected the program, but the AI was free to make its own decisions afterwards and it was extremely advanced. It wouldn't kill them of course, but it could hurt, quite a bit. It also learned, and while it wasn't programmed with pre-knowledge of any abilities except for that of Scott and Bobby's, Scott could only assume it would pick up quickly. A lot of people would tell him to relax, that it was just a training simulation, but Scott knew better- it wasn't called the Danger Room for nothing.

It wasn't long before they found themselves in a huge central room, over which there was a familiar metallic gleam everywhere. Oh no. The room itself became alive around them, tendrils of metal reaching out to grasp and restrain them. Scott managed to blast away a few. Piotr seemed to be stronger than their grasp was- Logan could cut them and Kitty could phase through them. But Betsy was clearly ensnared. Kurt managed to teleport her out of the way before it was too late, however.

It was then that the man himself appeared, rising on a floating disc of metal, summoning parts of the room around him in a whirling cloud of razor-sharp blades. Scott immediately let loose with an optic blast, which crashed against an energy field promptly put up by Magneto, though it managed to knock him backwards in his bubble and make him lose concentration on the metallic tendrils coming out of the floor.

"His helmet. We need to get it off, now." Scott called out as he blasted Magneto again, but this time the Master of Magnetism was fully ready for him and it blocked him without any effort. Kurt immediately tried teleporting within his energy sphere- it was a worthwhile attempt, but the moment that Kurt made contact with him, before he could teleport off, he saw Kurt go hideously stuff and then drop limp off of him. Electric shock. "Shadowcat! Get ready. Colossus, get Nightcrawler out of the way. Iceman, Storm, hit him with everything you have- now!"

Rain, hail and ice began pouring down in torrents on Magneto and while he could block most of the solid objects, the freezing rain was penetrating through the shield. For everything, he's just a man- he'll start getting hypothermia soon. But just as soon as he said it, the floor came peeling off to knock Bobby off his feet, with another section of the ceiling solidly punching Storm from up above. Neither of them were out right now, but the assault had mostly stopped.

Scott let loose an optic blast as hard as he could, trying to aim it so the force knocked him further to ground or at least kept him from gaining altitude. From the corner of his eye, he could see Kitty scampering up to try and get the drop on him from above. Magneto apparently noticed as well, however, because her handhold vanished into thin air- the molecules dispersing themselves into pieces too small to be seen. Kitty, however, quickly gained her poise, phasing slowing down her descent.

He saw a colossal chunk of stone- no doubt hurled from Piotr, hurtle towards Magneto, who neatly destroyed it with a similarly big hunk of metal from off the floor. Logan was charging not far from where Piotr had thrown the stone, but Magneto immediately caught him and send him flying out so far he was kicked out of the program. Piotr began advancing as well, and at first, Scott was convinced that Magneto would grab him the same as the others, but to his amazement, it didn't seem to work. Is the big guy not technically made out of metal at all? Magneto seemed to solve the problem neatly by batting him aside with a large section of the floor, though Piotr was still in the game.

Ororo and Bobby were back in the game and Bobby seemed to have picked up the notion of dropping big hunks of ice on him. Even though Magneto could block them or divert them, he was still going down, further, closer to the ground. Now he was within range of Kitty- who immediately pounced upon him, stripping him of his helmet- can we actually do this? Maybe we're actually going to win. But that split second of optimism was ruined the moment when Kitty landed and was instantly blindsided by a chunk of metal.

Betsy attacked him immediately, instantly with everything she had, but this wasn't Cain and Magneto simply grit his teeth, fighting her for every inch. He looked pale, shaking, on the verge of losing it, but he reached out his hands towards Betsy and fixed her with a powerful surge of electricity at the same time that he regained his helmet.

The rest of it was shockingly predictable. They couldn't do anything to substantially hurt him, and he could make the entire room a weapon. It was just a matter of time, one by one, they were dropped. The brutal fact of the matter was that Magneto was at least a match for the entire team. Even together, they couldn't simply overpower him. They needed to really, truly work together, and that wasn't happening.

It was unfortunate that important lessons often had to be the most painful.

Outside the Danger Room:

By any reasonable standard, Piotr had got off the best of anyone in the session. He didn't have any bumps or bruises, didn't lose any blood, didn't need to be looked at to ensure that everything was alright. But like all the rest of them, he felt bitter and humiliated. Certainly their humiliating defeat had left a very, very unpleasant taste in his mouth.

He just barely registered a presence creeping into the room next to him, sitting down to his left, a couple of chairs in between them.

"Katya, are you all right?" Piotr asked quietly. Normally, he would have made a move to put his arm around her or something, but she clearly wanted the distance, right now.

She let out a harsh breath and then turned around to look at him. "No. I'm not all right. We are not all right. This fucking sucks." She took another few breaths. "And we need to have a little talk about boundaries. When we're in there, in the War Room, or on team business, don't call me Katya. I'm Shadowcat, or Kitty. It's not fair to appeal to my feelings for you when things are going down like that. Do you understand why that pisses me off?"

Piotr nodded quietly. "... yes."

"And while we're at it, what the hell was that about Magneto, Piotr?" Kitty raised her eyebrow. "Didn't expect you'd be terribly sympathetic to him."

"I wasn't being sympathetic to him. I just do not think it is always so black and white. All we have to go on are assumptions." Piotr replied, not about to budge on the point. "It is always important to talk about why we do things. I did not mean we should not fight him, I just think we need to be certain about why we do so, and as much as possible, about who we're going up against."

Kitty glared at him for a moment and then at the ground. "Right. Whatever."

"Perhaps we can talk about you not just dismissing what I'm saying because you're angry." Piotr added with a little bit of bite to his voice, his own annoyance starting to rise. "Kitty." It came out nasty and sarcastic and he immediately hated himself for it.

"If I was dismissing it, do you think I'd be so damn mad about it?" Kitty finally said, actually sounding a little taken aback by his tone.

Piotr took a breath. "No. I suppose not. I'm sorry for being sarcastic." He reached up to rub his face. "I'm going to go get some rest. Classes tomorrow."

"Yeah. Classes tomorrow." Kitty sighed and slumped into her seat.

Genosha:

The Presidential Palace had sustained heavy damage in Magneto's conquest of Genosha, but he'd been able to patch up much of the damage himself and in the long run, he had plans to build a new and better structure over it. In the meantime, however, he'd been able to get all of the systems up and running. The power supply to the city around them remained patchy, but it was better than nothing. Thankfully, the water mains had been unaffected so water and sanitation remained unaffected.

The food situation was going to be more difficult. It had been hard to convince many of the former slaves to return to the fields, though they did so as free men and women. It was a simple case of necessity- he needed as much of the harvest as possible. Genosha had valuable material resources and huge potential with its new mutant citizenry, but it lacked for several important things. He needed to find a means of acquiring food and other supplies as quickly as possible.

He could not rely on most of the world's institutions, of course. The World Bank and IMF were not going to fund him, and neither would most private investors. He'd made some quiet inquiries with other countries, but they'd mostly turned him down flat. Which left him with one remaining option, as far as he could tell. Magneto had summoned his daughter over for tea, and to ask her to go on a very important and dangerous diplomatic mission for him.

"You called, Father?" Wanda asked with a slightly enigmatic smile on her face, an expression that would worry most but brought honest happiness to his own heart. She's herself again, quietly cunning and calculating. They tried to make a fool's cavalier out of my clever, clever girl and they failed.

"Indeed, I did." He gestured for her to sit down and she did. He reached over to pour her tea. "What is the most significant problem we have, Wanda?"

"Money. Food. A lot of the infrastructure survived relatively undamaged, though we've lost some valuable assets due to rioting." Wanda added some milk to her tea and sipped delicately. "But we have no means of getting food, and our supplies will start running short in a few weeks. Harvest will help, but so much of Genosha's land is bound up in cash crops. You can't dine on wine alone. Sadly enough."

"Which is why I need you to do something very important for me." Magneto went on, sipping his own tea. "I want you to go to Latveria to convince Doctor Doom to give us his support. I would go myself, but I believe that Doom might actually listen to you."

Wanda laughed for a moment, setting down her teacup. "Because I have the option of wearing a low-cut dress and asking very, very nicely?"

"Wanda." Magneto replied with vague annoyance at her flippant response, though he knew she was teasing him. Mostly, anyway. "Because he would take my coming to Latveria as a threat. No doubt you will have to, as you say, ask very nicely. It goes without saying that we need the Bank of Latveria's assistance, at least while we are rebuilding."

"Hmm. You're sending me off to the clutches of Doctor Doom and all you can spare me is some tea?" Wanda smiled playfully. "I'm disappointed, Father. But you'll have your precious assistance."

"And while you're gone, as it happens, I will be hosting an old friend." It was Magneto's turn to smile enigmatically. "Charles Xavier wishes to speak to me. No doubt to dissuade me from the path I've started myself on."

"Do you think the X-Men will be coming to Genosha?" Wanda asked, a little more seriously this time.

"I would be surprised if they didn't, at some point. But Charles would not be so wicked as to attempt to lure me into a trap. And I for my own part will respect his right to enter and leave safely. They're not our real enemies, after all." Magneto took another long sip of his tea. "Charles was once a close of mine, almost a brother. I still hope that he will come to see things my way one day."

Text/E-Mail from Bobby Drake, Re: All Faculty, X-Men Types:

Hopefully our big mopefest is over guys. Hank is coming and we're going to have a surprise party. So stop moping and let's make it a good one.

~ Your pal, Bobby Drake

Xavier Institute- Exterior:

It was easy enough to discern from the phone conversation that he'd had with Charles that there was considerable tension at the Mansion. In theory, Charles was offering Hank a position as the school's medical doctor and also to teach some biology classes. But Hank knew better than that- Xavier was clearly hoping that he would also rejoin the new X-Men team and bestow some badly-needed measured logic on them. Well, no one could accuse my life of being boring, anyway.

A lot had changed since he'd last put on an X-Men uniform and gone out to fight supervillains last. He turned around and looked at himself in the mirror for a long moment. Back then, he'd looked essentially human, despite having unusually large hands and feet. But years later, his mutation had continued to develop. He'd become covered in fine, dark-blue fur, he'd developed sharp canines and claws, his arms had grown out of proportion with his legs. Overall, he'd developed a rather simian cast to his features. A Beast in fact as well as in name.

It'd cost him, personally. His parents would never have done anything so vulgar as to disown or ridicule him, but he could tell they had trouble adjusting to their son's new appearance. Many of his friends had drifted away from him. His girlfriend at the time, Trish Tilby, had tried to make the relationship work, but the simple fact was- she wasn't attracted, physically to his new form. He tried not to be too angry about that, and sometimes he almost succeeded, but it hurt, terribly. He was too well-known in his field to be fired or anything like that, but even professionally, he'd found it more difficult.

The worst part, though, were the inner changes. Along with the vastly increased strength and agility, the suddenly sharpened senses, came certain animalistic instincts that he'd never possessed before. Most of the time, Hank could conceal them artfully under a cultured, rational guise, but sometimes he found himself unable not to slip out of his apartment at night and prowl around the city. Not harming anyone- though he'd certainly frightened a few people with his sudden appearance, but simply to enjoy the gift of untrammeled motion.

It will be better for me here. I can continue my research and nobody will judge me. Still, however, Hank McCoy considered it a step back in many ways. He'd been successful out in the wider world, one of relatively few of his kind to have that happy claim- but now that things had changed, both internally and externally, he found himself coming back to the Institute.

After saying hello to the Professor at the gate, Hank padded over the long driveway and carefully manicured gardens of the Xavier Institute, before being buzzed into the door. All right, let's see if anyone is here to greet me- he rounded the doorway into the main meeting hall and was immediately taken aback by the elaborate decorations that had been laid out. It was then that everyone popped out of their hiding places and called out "Welcome back, Hank!" in unison.

Oh my stars and garters. Hank couldn't help but smile, just as what seemed like the planet's entire mutant population was rushing up to hug, shake hands and say hello.

"Bro! FINALLY." Bobby Drake broadly grinned and went over to hug his best friend, nearly bowling Hank over, despite Hank being far larger and stronger. "It's gonna be so great having you around to harass and play jokes on and whine about all my life problems too."

Hank couldn't help but chuckle. "I swear, the more things change, the more they stay the same. It's good to see you too, Bobby. And to see some smiles on people's faces, despite what you told me about a few days ago."

"Yeah, well, they knew I'd kick their asses if they didn't show. But dude, seriously, you've been in this room for like two whole minutes and you haven't even got any cake yet. What's wrong with you?" Bobby grinned. "Besides, I can't have any until you do. It's some kind of rule."

That made Hank laugh. "Ah, now it all makes sense. Very well, Robert, I will go get a piece of cake, if it will make you feel better."

Castle Doom, Latveria:

Whatever else Wanda thought of being hosted by Doctor Doom, she could not fault his hospitality. She'd been escorted from the border by very polite guards, who had taken the time (though not too much) during the journey to the capital to show some of the sights. Latveria was certainly a picturesque country, all rolling hills and ancient oak forests, broken by quaint-looking agricultural villages and fat animals contentedly grazing.

Once she'd arrived at the castle, she'd been shown up to the private dining room where she was to receive an audience with Doom. The room that he'd chosen was far smaller than the banquet hall in which Doom often met with foreign dignitaries, several at a time. It was there that she was seated with all such politesse, until the Master, as they called him in Latveria arrived himself.

Doctor Doom arrived about ten minutes later, almost precisely at the appointed time. Wanda was aware that he could modify his vocal cadences precisely to the moment and was surprised that he chose one that was almost totally devoid of any amplification or distortion. Doom himself was an intimidating figure, his face almost totally hidden beneath a steely mask that acted like a second skin, his body covered in armor of similar make. As he arrived, food began to appear on the table along with a wonderfully crisp, dry white wine of local make. I recognize these from my childhood. Did he know?

"Of course I know. I always make certain to know all that I can about my guests." Doom replied, in a neutral tone. "Hospitality is one of the most sacred virtues of this land, and its master needs to set a good example."

"I'm certainly impressed." Wanda replied sincerely. "Latveria is a very well-ordered land. The people look very happy and prosperous."

"They are happy." Doom corrected in a slightly arch tone. "They know that the reward for obedience is happiness. But let us get to business. Your father wants Latveria to lend assistance to Genosha. Why should we do this?"

"Aside from the gratitude of my father?" Wanda replied with a small smile. "Genosha has very valuable raw materials, including vibranium deposits that we are actually willing to trade. Latveria would receive preferential access to these materials in return for necessary assistance during the reconstruction period. You would also make an ally of a nation with a population of millions of mutants."

Doom's expression did not change at all, one way or the other. "I do not need allies, nor am I so in need of raw materials as you might suppose. However, my benevolence is great. I will grant you your request on two conditions."

"And what is that condition, Lord Doom?" Wanda asked, curious, though the intense look he gave her at that moment sent a chill down her spine.

"If I desire a favor from your father, I expect to be granted it. Do not worry, my demands will not be unreasonable." He looked at her and then smiled thinly. "My second condition, my dear, is that you agree, in due time, to be my lady consort. Go to your father and tell him this. I will grant you time time to consider, but I assure you, my assistance will not be forthcoming if my conditions are not met."

Washington DC:

"And what does the President intend to do with Magneto's conquest of Genosha?" Sebastian asked Tessa intently. "I believe we have a golden opportunity to extend our influence, if we play our cards right. The mutant threat to American security has become both more immediate and conveniently externalized." Sebastian brushed aside the hair from the back of her neck and pressed a couple of kisses there. "I expect Operation Wideawake to be accelerated. Make it happen, Tessa. Any means necessary. I know you have … influence with the President." There was something a little off to Sebastian's tone- was he becoming jealous? That would have been ridiculous, though. He had placed here there and furthermore, their relationship was hardly exclusive.

"Some." Tessa replied offhandedly. She hadn't intentionally seduced him, but she didn't particularly regret having done so either. "I'll see to it that Operation Wideawake is implemented as soon as possible."

His arms looped around her and then drew her in tight. "We need to move quickly. There is treachery in the Club. Both Emma and Pierce are plotting against me."

"You want a large-scale triumph, to impress upon them their proper status." Tessa replied coolly, tilting her neck slightly to give him better access. "It might stay Emma's hand for a time. But Pierce truly hates you. He won't rest until you're dead, and I suspect, many others as well."

"Then I will destroy him." Sebastian replied with a rough edge in his voice. "Perhaps I'll make Emma a gift of his head to send her a message."

"I believe such a gesture might be counterproductive." Tessa replied mildly. "I do agree, though, that Pierce needs to be killed."

"I'll do it myself." Sebastian growled as he slipped the straps of her dress off- at least he didn't tear this one, I rather like it. "I'll tear him limb to limb and everyone will know why I'm the master of the Hellfire Club. It's mine, mine by right and by conquest."

Hopefully I won't have any too pressing business tomorrow, because I sincerely doubt I will be getting much sleep tonight. Not that Tessa particularly minded. She leapt up into his arms, strong arms that held her weight without any difficulty and kissed him aggressively, hoping that he got the hint. We can discuss concrete plans later. Right now, the last thing I want to is have a long discussion about work.

Xavier Institute:

"Good to have you back, Hank." Logan smirked faintly, as he set down one of his cards and picked up another one. Not bad. "The poker club was starting to get a little thin. Tried to teach half-pint, but she's got the worst poker face of anyone I ever met."

Hank chuckled faintly. "Katherine is not one to hide her feelings." He did the same, his own face virtually impassive. "I believe it is your turn … Remy?" The new … was he being groomed to be an X-Man or was he simply an adult student? He certainly took quickly to the suggestion of being invited to a poker game.

"That it is, homme." Remy grinned broadly and picked up a card of his own. This one is good at keeping secrets, Hank observed. "Don't worry, you'll remember it soon enough."

"Yeah, yeah, you keep hinting you're some sort of poker god. I'm lookin' forward to clearin' ya on that score." Ben Grimm smirked faintly and lit up his own cigar. "Good ta see you again, Hank. Place needed a boost to its IQ." He chuckled and picked up another card.

"Is it just me or does this room reek of testosterone?" Betsy smirked faintly, before picking up a card of her own. "That's okay, boys. You can all console each other when I take all your hard-earned cash." She cast an eye over each of them. She'd agreed not to use her telepathy on any of them, of course, but she could still pick up a few hints. Remy was liable to cheat if he weren't watched carefully. Logan, she was pretty sure, had a decent hand. Ben didn't.

And Hank McCoy? Well, that was a different business altogether. Unlike the others around her, Hank was a born and bred gentleman. She was fairly sure his hand wasn't any great shakes, though. And a part of her had to admit that there was something strangely intriguing about him. I've never been opposed to a little hair on men, but he is a bit of a radical case, yes? She was sure, though, in part, it was the contrast that was interesting. He looked like he should be savage, but the truth was that he was witty, cultured and genuinely kind.

Betsy had to admit she wouldn't mind the chance to get to know him a little better. Once she'd thoroughly destroyed him at poker of course. There was money on the line after all.

X-Mansion, Basement:

"... so how does this work?" Piotr asked, looking at the sheets in his hand. "What precisely is the goal of this game?"

"Whatever you want. It's great." Kitty smiled at him. After Hank's party, they'd had a bit of a talk about their fight and things were okay. Good. Glorious. "You're a paladin, though, so you're probably into glorious and noble quests against evil."

"Wait, if Piotr is a paladin, does that mean I can't play a chaotic evil wizard?" Bobby pouted. "I had this great concept and everything, he was going to be like Mesmero the Wicked Awesome."

"... the Wicked Awesome? Really immersive and evocative naming, Bobbers." Kitty smirked. "Playing a tiefling rogue again, Kurt?"

Kurt chuckled. "Predictable, I know, but what can I say, stick with what one knows, yes?" Kurt grinned broadly.

Piotr sat down and looked the the character sheet in more detail. It wasn't particularly easy to make sense of all of the numbers. In fact, it was safe to say he had no idea what they even meant. Do hit points have something to do with health? Strength, Dexterity, I understand those, but what is a saving throw? Kitty grinned and plopped herself into his lap, looking at the sheet with him.

"Don't worry. It's easier than it looks." Kitty smiled warmly and gave him a quick kiss. "Basically, just relax and have fun pretending to be a brave, noble warrior who would … okay, you know what? Be yourself. But with a sword and vaguely magical powers instead of big metal muscles."

"I think I can handle that." Piotr chuckled. "Who do you play? Someone very brave and intelligent and ... flexible, no doubt." He waggled his eyebrows slightly on the last count.

"Oh ho, Mr. Rasputin." Kitty grinned up at him. "I'm the Dungeon Master, Pete. That means I get to try to kill you with monsters and traps."

"That isn't very nice. Well, if the Dungeon Master is too mean to me, I know where she's ticklish." Piotr grinned back at her a little puckishly.

"So … happy as I am that you guys have kissed and made up, Mesmero the Wicked Awesome wants to put some orcs to sleep or something. And I'm sure that Not-Kurt the tiefling rogue here would like to get in on some monster-hunting action. So let's get those dice out and nerd up!" Bobby grinned and broke out what were clearly a well-loved set of sapphire-blue dice.

Genosha, Presidential Palace:

Charles Xavier normally preferred to use an ordinary wheelchair to escape notice, but his slightly more elaborate hoverchair was probably more suitable for something like this. All the same, he knew well that he was giving himself up to Erik's good graces. He would have to believe that he would be alllowed to come in, speak the truth and be allowed to leave without any difficulty. As he floated into the Great Hall, he was taken aback by how much Magneto had changed it in only a short time. Almost all the original interior work was gone, replaced by an interior almost completely covered in metal, so perfectly gleaming that it acted as a mirror.

"Do you like what I've done with the place, Charles?" Magneto asked, becoming visible sitting on a titanic steely throne about twenty feet above Charles. Charles was tempted to comment somewhat snarkily on the similarity of his throne to that of a well-known fantasy television series, but he kept it to himself. More worrying to him than HBO's copyright, was Magneto's embrace of megalomaniacal grandeur.

"What do you intend to do now that you've liberated this country, old friend? Or is it your intention to liberate them? You seem terribly comfortable with the trappings of autocratic power." Charles noted a little dryly.

"The people of Genosha need someone to guide them into the future, Charles." Magneto replied firmly. He then got up and using his magnetic powers, lowered the throne so they were sitting nearly level with each other. "Can you really say that I've done such a terrible thing here, Charles? I've freed millions from slavery. Only a very few Genoshans have been punished for this- a greater mercy than they deserve. The humans are free to leave or to stay here, as they wish."

"As second-class citizens in a mutant state." Charles raised his eyebrow. "Then again, I suppose you don't mind that they slowly drift out of Genosha, do you?"

"Not at all." Magneto replied candidly. "But we could argue about this for ages. You've come here for a more constructive purpose than that, I hope."

"It's not too late to work with people towards a peaceful solution, Magneto. No one desires the return of the Genoshan slavers, but neither do people wish to see an infamous mutant terrorist- as they see it, as the leader of a sovereign nation. You have a chance to stand aside and allow reconstruction to go ahead in a fair and equal regime."

Magneto listened quietly until he was finished and then immediately started laughing derisively. "No, old friend. I will not stand aside. And the world had best learn how to accept Genosha as it is now, or the current peace will be shortlived indeed. No. I will not move on- to where, anyway? I will stay right here, where I can direct the future of mutantkind. And to make myself clear to you, and to anyone else you might tell, Genosha is the mutant state and the interests of all mutants around the world tie to us. Any move against mutants by anyone will be taken as an attack on our nation."

"Erik … the world will not accept you. Or will it readily accept a mutant state." Charles looked up at him. "Please, Erik, understand that the decisions you make now will affect our kind for the rest of time. We must make wise decisions on behalf of mutantkind."

"Our kind … our kind. You dare speak like that when you hide yourself from the world? But do not worry, Charles. The days of your hypocrisy are at an end." Magneto slowly smiled, an expression that transfixed Charles with intense dread.

"Oh do not worry, Charles. You will have safe passage back to your precious school. I expect, though, that you'll have quite a few questions to answer, once I release this conversation to the public." Magneto looked down at Charles with an imperious grin stretching across his face. "Perhaps soon, you will reconsider whose side you are actually on."

White House:

The President slumped back in his chair, suddenly exhausted in both body and soul, looking at the documents for Operation Wideawake, the ink of his signature drying on it. It meant that in mere days, Sentinels would be activated and begin patrolling for rogue mutant activity in the United States, but also that a cadre of Sentinels would be reserved for defence against foreign mutant incursions, now that Genosha had been established as a mutant nation. While the Sentinels could be activated or deactivated by handlers at any time, they would operate primarily under their own AI. Goddammit, Magneto. I didn't want to do this, but you forced my hand.

He heard a knock on the door and nodded for Tessa to come in, which she did, sitting down across from him and quickly scanning over the papers. After she did so, she looked up at him, a hand reaching out to brush against his arm.

"You did the right thing, Mr. President." Tessa said in a reassuring voice.

"I damn well hope so." The President replied. "Maybe if we do this, we can head off things before the maniacs get ahold of the mutant issue. No doubt Sebastian will be happy."

"He will be relieved, yes. But right now I'm more concerned about you, sir. I suggest that you get out of the office. It's a little late for golf, but you could always take your wife out to dinner or to a movie. I can make any arrangements you need made." Tessa gazed at him for a long moment. "For what it's worth, Mr. President, I appreciate that this was a very difficult decision to make you. And strange as this might sound, I'm glad it was. It shouldn't be an easy decision to make. Operation Wideawake is not a blessing, let's be honest, it's a necessary evil."

The President nodded. "... you know, we've had our ups and downs, but you're the best assistant I've ever had. I don't know what I'd do without you, these days." He sighed. "I should go home. Haven't spent much time there since the Genoshan crisis broke. But I don't feel … it doesn't feel wright. I feel compromised. I don't know how good of a family man I could be."

"Alternatively, sir, I know of a great many excellent bars only a short drive from here. The Temple bar has fourteen bourbons, all of them excellent." Tessa smiled a bit thinly. "That is, if you enjoy the idea of getting drunk right now. I have to admit it's a bit of an appealing notion, myself."

The President nodded. "Yeah. Having some drinks sounds good. I'll make the official pronouncement about Operation Wideawake tomorrow. Afternoon. Not morning. I have an appointment with a hangover tomorrow morning." He chuckled, but it came out rather humourlessly.