A/N: Hey guys. Hope you're all doing well. I've just been taking a couple of days out, in part because real life needed my attention.

Last "episode", the Rasputins eventually escaped from Sinister and reunited with the X-Men, Professor X awoke in some weird dystopian future and Magneto started to flee the US of A, among many other things.

Genosha

Wanda Maximoff found herself struggling to draw herself to her full height in the presence of the people talking to her, even though they were only present through a video link and not actually standing in the room with her. It took all her effort to keep eye contact with the screen and the figures being shown on it.

At the top-left corner of the screen was a man in a dark longcoat, which covered a SHIELD uniform. His eyepatch was over his missing eye, with the stoic Maria Hill to his right and the angry Colonel Axton Moss to his left. As usual, Nick Fury did not lack in the dramatic department, his face stern and serious. Director Fury had taken the responsibility of negotiating on behalf of the United Nations in this case, or at least representing them in this first talk, owing to his experience in metahuman affairs.

At the top-right corner sat a man calmly staring at the screen, spectacles covering his face, with a few wrinkles and smart suit complimenting one another and showing that age had been reasonably kind to him, although in the past five weeks his age had started to catch up with him, even though he was a middle aged man and barely in his fifties at that. Senator Kelly found himself in the unusual position of being open to questions as well as the one asking them; years of work in the House and Senate had led to countless committee sessions.

Taking the bottom half of the screen was a man dressed in a pair of smart trousers, a red shirt, a dark business jacket and a white tie, his finely maintained beard and moustache clearly sticking out. It was quite obvious from the badly done up tie that this sort of smart outfit didn't really appeal to him for such a meeting, and Wanda was quite certain that when the meeting was done he'd instantly throw it in one of his many wardrobes and change into something more comfortable. This was the kind of guy that only played by the rules of others when it suited him; of course, when you were the head of a multi-billion dollar company and one of the few superheroes without a secret identity, that kind of attitude was probably understandable. If she'd been him, life would be so much more relaxed.

"I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to open this dialogue regarding the future of Genoshan operations with the United Nations and United States. I'm aware that we each have pressing matters of our own to attend to, so let's make this quick. If we have further business after discussing these issues, I shall make time to negotiate in the near future."

A nod of acknowledgement came from Director Fury and Maria Hill, with Colonel Moss reluctantly following with a grunt. It was obvious that so much as talking to a mutant that had a higher footing than he did was almost unbearable; clearly, he had not wanted to be involved in this negotiation and had either been strong-armed into it, or had chosen to minimise what he viewed as concessions to an invader.

For their part, Kelly and the newcomer didn't seem to be offended by the idea of a mutant leading a nation, politely nodding and giving a huge, childish grin, respectively.

"Colonel, relax. I've been looking forward to addressing the leader of the most prosperous mutant nation on Earth, particularly if said leader is Miss Maximoff."

Colonel Moss did not relax.

"I told you this was a bad idea, Director. Is there a reason that you let your pet hero into this diplomatic session, or did you just feel like annoying me? I want his line disconnected!"

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but my pet hero as you call him commands one of the only superhero teams that we have direct access to as an organisation. The X-Men's loyalty in a situation such as this is presently uncertain- I know for a fact that there are certain team members who would willingly defend Genosha with their last breath," Fury commented, presumably glancing at Wanda as he did so. Kurt, she thought. He's talking about Kurt.

"He's annoying, Colonel, I know that firsthand."

"Hey!" The objection was an undignified one.

"Nevertheless, with the X-Men the wild card in this situation and the Fantastic Four too difficult to track down, the Avengers remain SHIELD's best hope at dealing with a situation. My consultant stays involved in this discussion, and whether or not you remain is up to you. Do I make myself clear?"

Moss didn't need to reply.

"Thank you, Director."

"Though do in fact shut up."

Wanda sighed mentally. The negotiations hadn't even started and already one of Fury's consultants had sparked a debate about something completely irrelevant. This was going to be a long discussion.

"If I might say a few words?"

Senator Kelly chose this moment to speak up.

"The first issue that I need to raise is that of reparations, both foreign and domestic. One of the major problems being faced in the disaster zone, aside from the obvious issue of those directly affected by the attacks, is that of infrastructure. Repairs to power and the various facilities needed for day to day life, such as sewage and sanitation, are underway, but progress is slow and the authorities are struggling to cope with the pressure. The United States is in desperate need of individuals that can fix this problem, Miss Maximoff, and you may well know several of them."

"You would ask for the help of mutants, Senator? After your previous platform?" Again, the acting head of the MRD was beginning another offensive rant.

"I understand your concerns, Colonel-"

"Do you? And why would you understand them?"

At this moment, Wanda's voice hardened, steeling her heart as she began to speak. She had done her best to be polite and not provoke their more controversial guest, but enough was enough.

"The United States wasn't the only country to feel Magneto's wrath, Axton. After the invasion, I had to banish my own father and brother after the countless people that the former hurt, the lives he destroyed and the places he razed. Yet my brother could not force himself to leave his side. So don't accuse me of not having the empathy for anyone on either side who was hurt or worse."

Evidently the Colonel being referred to by his first name had shocked him somewhat, to say nothing of this young woman verbally tearing into him. Fury's consultant nodded vigorously.

"I like her."

There was a moment of static from the SHIELD screen as Maria Hill leant behind her boss, removing Colonel Moss' microphone from his uniform. Some angry muttering briefly got picked up by Fury's own microphone, but stopped when the soldier realised he could no longer rant effectively.

"In response to your question, Senator Kelly," Wanda said, voice returning to normal. "We may well have a few people who are willing and able to help you repair the disaster area. It's just a matter of finding them first, although that shouldn't take too long. Blink?"

The pink mutant to her right entered the camera's sights, shyly gesturing to say hello.

"Begin searching the databases for any mutant with powers that may come in use for repairs or aid, such as enhanced strength, healing capabilities or telekinesis. Bring me a list as soon as you can, and we will narrow it down further to a shortlist of potential assistants. This is a good opportunity to heal relations between our nations, not to mention our species. And I will not see it go to waste."

With those words, Blink nodded and ran out of the room, searching for the library and databases available to the high families of Genosha, in this case Erik Lensherr's. She'd been expecting to have instantly lost power, but weirdly enough the population had cautiously accepted Wanda as their ruler... for now.

"I am pleased to hear that you are making swift movement on such important matters, Miss Maximoff," Senator Kelly beamed. "There is one thing I should mention, however. Since the invasion, the American public is split between approval and fear for mutants, in some cases feeling a mix of both. Nevertheless, my peers in Congress have encountered a rather... vocal minority, to say the least, a movement going by the unofficial name of Friends of Humanity. They have the backing of at least three major companies, and their membership has been rising rapidly in recent weeks, as most reactionary groups tend to experience. They're calling for Project Wideawake to be restarted, with improved funding and SHIELD backing, so as to improve the technology in the event that Magneto tries to get his hands on the Sentinels once again."

"Will you lend your support to this movement, Senator? It likely has a lot of political prestige and future career opportunities for you, perhaps even a run for the White House."

There was an awkward pause.

"...no, I will not. I made my decision to decommission Project Wideawake all those weeks ago, and I stick by it. The only regret I have about the decision, in hindsight, is not doing so earlier when diplomacy may still have talked Erik Lensherr down. With that said, at least three of my colleagues have pledged public support for the movement and more have been covertly donating to them, in fundraisers and in campaigns. It's all very hush-hush, of course, but as public support grows the truth will come out, and they'll make their beliefs very clear."

"Can we expect any big businesses to also donate in secret to them, alongside the ones giving it public backing already?"

"Possibly, Miss Maximoff. However, SHIELD has no plans to back the movement, in private or in public. Our only plans at present are to monitor this situation, alongside the other one presently being dealt with by my consultant and his colleagues." Fury appeared genuine in his statement, but there was no way to be sure when dealing with a spymaster. The whole point of his job was to lie and find out whatever people didn't want to openly reveal, or conceal it if they were allied with him. For now, she would have to reluctantly go with his word.

"And are we at risk of anyone else in this meeting giving backing?" She stared at the consultant intently, waiting to see what he had to say.

"Aside from Colonel Moss, probably not, Miss Maximoff. I have no plans for my company- or any of its offshoots- to become involved in such a movement. I've given the no-no to the other executives on the grounds of bad business, as well as ethics, of course. They likely don't all share my views, but if it means keeping their huge salaries and positions they'll keep their mouths shut and their wallets to themselves."

A moment's hesitation, then Director Fury spoke up.

"I believe that we'd better leave it there for now. We've made a good start in terms of reparations, but I'm afraid that there's more to finish. Try and keep your troops in line, Miss Maximoff, and SHIELD will have no reason to leave your side." With those words, he disconnected, before Colonel Moss could start talking again.

Senator Kelly politely nodded, also choosing that moment to disconnect. The consultant took a moment to hang around, his face now filling the whole screen. It suited his ego, she reflected.

"Miss Maximoff, it's been a pleasure. If you ever need help, drop a line to Pepper Potts, and I'll see to it that Stark Industries gets back to you ASAP." With that last remark, he hung up, the screen faded to black.

She sighed, reaching for the glass of water and draining it in one. That diplomatic session had been an exhausting one, and it had been extremely tempting to completely tear into the colonel and leave him with no room for manoeuvre, but to do so would have been disastrous. Colonel Moss may not have held the same standing that he used to, but he was still the head of the MRD, which was still a powerful organisation. It hadn't helped that the consultant had deliberately antagonised him, as funny as it may have been for her.

Wanda reached for the intercom.

"Blink, fetch me something to eat. That last conversation has left me rather drained."

Still, she at least knew that she had the backing of Stark Industries, as well as Senator Kelly's, although she questioned how long it would take SHIELD and the UN to actually support Genosha, if at all. The Mutant Response Division, for all its bigotry and trigger-happy behaviour, at least made their position clear from the start. There was one group that she could still contact, one group whose loyalty needed to be determined.

It was time to contact the X-Men once again.

Wait... was that Tony Stark?

So, it was rather short compared to the last chapter of A Deal Near the Red Dawn, but the pace is still consistent, and I opted to upload what I can given that the next couple of days will also be a bit hectic- not rushing, just leaving you with what I have so far.

Those of you who have been watching the poll on my profile (if that makes any of you) will have noticed that Tony Stark was in the lead and has now appeared in the story (I probably would have had him appear anyway, but I chose to introduce him even earlier owing to demand on it- he will have more appearances, but they will not be that often). So, keep watching the poll and over time I'll do my best to add certain characters in. I'll obviously try to not make it too gratuitous, i.e. no Arcade working with the MRD.

Alright, see you at some point soon!