1366/X-men Base: Genosha

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X-men Base: Genosha
Date of Scene: 25 April 2020
Location: Hammer Bay
Synopsis: Scott and Lorna try to catch up on reports... and Lorna has a panic attack. Enter Fabian.
Cast of Characters: Lorna Dane, Scott Summers, Fabian Cortez




Lorna Dane has posed:
It was once again time for a scheduled resupply to the newly built X-men base. A pre-planned landing of the Blackbird and a bit later, the supply crates were unloaded and stacked neatly to be cataloged and unpacked more fully. The building that X-men had taken over was a spare prefab one, though insulated with extra metal scrap that Lorna had added herself. All the better hopefully to resist an attack.

The young Queen of Genosha sighed as she lifted one of the plastic tubs holding much needed boxes of food the X-men might want or need, including snacks, and fussed around in it until she could find a bag of chips to snack on while they unpacked the rest of the supplies.

"So, I haven't had time to formally write up the report yet regarding the Hydra attack, but most of the details are on the email I sent. Did you get a chance to glance over it?" She asked, popping a chip into her mouth and then turning to unload a crate of what looked like medical supplies and toiletries. She shifted her grip on one of the packages, and set it on the folding table to start parsing out where it should go next.

The base wasn't large by any means, but it was enough for some sleeping quarters, a somewhat working bathroom, and a common area and kitchenette. It was slow going getting the utilities up and running on a reliable level, but the infrastructure was improving daily.

Scott Summers has posed:
The Blackbird is not a cargo plane, so Scott brings only a few crates of expensive electronics and medical gear, plus specific request of the X-Men on site. Lorna's snacks included. "I am not sure I like the X-Men settled so close to the refugees. Somewhere more hidden might be better," he considers, looking at the building.

He nods about the report. He reads ALL the reports, usually more than once to make sure he misses nothing. "There have been rumors Hydra has a Terrorcarrier based in some lost island in the southern Indian Ocean for years. Be careful, they might have enough soldiers to mount a serious assault - and although it would provoke an immediate response from SHIELD, Viper might be bloodthirsty enough to do it anyway. If you got prisoners, maybe Jean or Betsy could do some careful mind-scanning."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna grimaced as she poked through a few more crates, finding the pack of soda that she had been searching for. The rest was all stuff she'd figure would be better left alone. She and electronics... could be hit or miss. She cracked open one of the sodas and nodded to the box in askance, did Scott want one? She sat down on one of the few chairs in the room. "There's not much that's totally secret on the island Scott, I figured this was a good place for now. Not ideal, no, but until we scout something nearby that would be more useful from here." She grabbed another handful of chips and grimaced at Scott's news.

"Oh lovely, that would be top ten in my list of things I want to deal with." She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "You think that they're not completely out of hair though?" She arched a brow, crossing her leg as she leaned back in the metal folding chair.

"I heard that we're having dino issues at the school.."

Scott Summers has posed:
Warm soda for tropical Genosha? Scott will stay with water. Or coffee if they have anything left. With Kenya just around the corner is criminal Genosha has scarcity of coffee. He will blame Magneto.

"Viper has acted irrationally in the past, she is very revenge-driven," points out Scott. "And if she was there, then she might want something. Maybe something your father took from Hydra, or it could be something the Magistrates might have told Hydra. I have news in that regard, by the way."

As for the dino-trouble, he hehs, eyes rolling behind his visor. "Hank believe Karl Lykos is behind that. Sauron, after a few years hiding in the Savage Land. We should have gone after him long ago, put him in Ravencroft or Arkham, where he belongs. Yes, dinosaurs and gorillas. We got reports from transformations in a number of places all around the world. Did you have any incident here?"

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna shrugged once at Scott's obvious refusal of warm soda. She was more used to Genosha's tropical weather than NYC's, it came from living there for years. Of course.. most of the time AC was working and she'd been able to avoid the worst of it.. Now not so much. Still, it was something normal in the chaos that surrounded her. So. Warm soda.

"Hmm, you think she might just attack for revenge? Lovely..." She muttered, and shook her head. As if there weren't enough issues already. "Wait, you've got an update on some of the Magistrate's we've been keeping tabs on? That doesn't sound so good Scott. Why can't you bring me good news from time to time?" She grumbled the last part, and reached up to rub the bridge of her nose.

"Alright, hit me, what's going on with the Magistrates?" She grimaced and went for the chips again. Even as Scott asked about the global reports. "Nothing concrete? We've had reports of a few survivors possibly going missing, so they might have turned and ran off. Who knows? It could be anything. Though there are rumors of some sightings on the far side of the island."

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott nods. "Well, Hank is working on a cure. I will ask him to send out samples as soon as possible." As regular dinosaurs are problematic. Dinosaurs with mutant powers are very bad news, particularly if the victims take the transformation poorly.

"Magistrates, yes..." he grunts. "Out contacts in South-Africa and Great Britain report a number of members of the old Genoshan regimen that went into exile have abandoned their homes. I am checking with other known places, but I am quite sure there is a trend. Many of these missing are former Magistrates, or young men with military training and skills."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Warren had already told her of Hank working on a cure, but it was good to hear Scott say it all the same. She was sure that Hank would figure it out. Lorna sighed heavily, reaching up to rub her temples as Scott spoke of the Magistrates moving and likely... toward Genosha. She reached for the soda, eyed it and set it back down. "I really wish I had something to drink with that news.." She muttered, shaking her head as she took a handful of chips and worked her way through them. She seemed to sit thinking for along time.

"Do we have a rough estimate on possible numbers? Think they might throw money to hire more armed forces to try to take back the island? Paramilitary?" She finally picked up her soda can again and took a sip.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott nods. "They have money. But I am not sure how much of the high-tech gear they used is still left. I doubt they have enough for a large scale operation. As for the numbers..." he sighs. "Lets see, over two million Genoshans were forced or choose to exile themselves when your father took over. How many are willing to risk their lives and fight to return? You do the math."

That is a lot of people. But Genosha is an island, they can't just walk in and attack. They need ships and airplanes. Those are expensive. Warships and combat aircraft is crazy expensive and can't be purchased at Walmarts.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna grimaced, and reached up to rub her face as Scott went down the reality of what might just attack the island. She didn't like it, not at all. They had a few thousand survivors in total, less than a few hundred here on the island. Most remained in Wakanda. And unless she could protect the island safely... there was no way she'd ask them back. And right now.. there were a handful of X-men that helped. More workers to get the island back up and running...

"Yeah... great. Lovely.. What do you think we can do to shore up the island's defenses somewhat?" She grimaced, looking pale and tired and just a little overwhelmed as she sank in her seat. Numbers game could go very badly for them, even if the Magistrates didn't roll up with war-ready supplies.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott shakes his head. "I can send more X-Men, I suppose, but the island is pretty large. Only way to control a territory so large would be some radar stations or a surveillance satellite," which might be within their resources, now he thinks about it. He will ask Hank and Kitty about it.

"And if Illyana is still willing, we can come here within minutes, of course," he offers. Then frowns, "has any of your father followers, Brotherhood or Acolytes showed up? Besides Unus, I mean."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna grimaced and nodded, "I know... like you said. There's only so much we can do to keep them off the island. If they get a foothold on Genosha it'll make it so much harder to get them out. I'm sure Genosha's old satellites are still up, we should poke around and see what remains up there. I mean.. there's no reason they shouldn't be.." She made a face, and shifted on her chair again.

"Yeah, my father's Acolytes have started to show up. Fabian Cortez and Exodus. It's already a head ache, and I don't like either of them. Much less trust them. I dunno."

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott nods. If anyone knows the codes to get the satellites. And those failed to spot the Sentinels. Or did they? It would be a good idea to see the logs of those machines, if they are still there.

Then he winces when Lorna mentions Fabian Cortez and Exodus. It is never the nice ones surviving, are they? Not that there were many nice people among the Brotherhood or the Acolytes rosters. He sighs, "will they obey you?"

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna shrugged once, and bent over the table, resting her elbows on it and heaving a long and drawn sigh. "Fabian is, though who knows what his end game is supposed to be. I don't trust him as far as I could throw him, but he's been behaving... " She rolled her eyes and grumbled, dragging her hands through her hair again.

"Exodus? No. He won't listen to me. It'll be a miracle if he doesn't go off and start a war on his own. They want me to have a coronation. I can't fathom it. Not when the country is in ruins."

Scott Summers has posed:
"Uh, Exodus took the worst of your father's message and made it his creed," grumbles Scott. A coronation? He shakes his head. How medieval. But, of course, Exodus is more alien than most aliens from other planets.

"Keep him busy," suggests Scott. "Tell him your father would have wanted this or that, and keep him away from us, and from starting wars, please." But he is happy Lorna realizes Fabian is utterly untrustworthy and Exodus is insane. It is easy to fall in the trap or relying on silver-tongued 'advisors' or super-powerful maniacs wanting targets to smash.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna shrugged helplessly, "I'll try my best. But I'm not sure I'll be able to keep them busy for long with noncombustible things." She let her hands fall back to the metal table and she grimaced.

"Sometimes I wish I could just walk away from all of this.." She closed her eyes and lowered her head down to rest atop her hands. "I have no clue what I'm doing."

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott stares at Lorna for almost a minute. "Lorna. You -need- to decide what you want now. Seriously," he runs a hand through his hair. "This is critical for a leader. You need a plan, and stick to it. No flailing cluelessly, not improvising. Plan. Stick to it. Even if the plan is bad, and if you need help, ask for advice. Even if the plan is bad, it is a framework you can work with and it can be improved on the way. This is the very basics of leadership. I can give you a few books on the matter to read, but... it is mostly you. You need a vision. And you need the will to carry it forward."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna buried her hands into her hair as Scott spoke, and she curled inward on herself. Her mental state already on edge and heading to a downward spiral. She whimpered, and felt her throat close up, her eyes stinging suddenly with tears. "I don't know what I'm doing! I don't know at all Scott." She blinked furiously, rubbing at her eyes and face as she lifted her head.

"Books?! They're not going to do shit."

Scott Summers has posed:
"Uh, huh. You are not the first ruler in history that is facing a complex situation, even a seemingly hopeless one," points out Scott. "You can read what others did in similar situations and try to adapt the solutions. And read about the mistakes, too. Leadership is not an inborn talent. There are many techniques to learn. About determining goals, timetables, schedules, form taskforces, keep allies happy, keep enemies busy, and so much more. Magneto must have told you something on this."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna shook her head, looking more and more overwhelmed. "My father never prepared me for this Scott! He didn't sit me down and talk to me on how to handle his allies or his Acolytes when he was gone! He certainly didn't talk to me on what to do if Genosha was destroyed." She waved her hands around her and she looked absolutely stricken.

"No other country in history has had destruction on this level and had to rebuild while constantly being attacked! What am I supposed to do?" She was running herself up into a full on panic attack. Her breathing short and spastic.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott shakes his head, "assess resources, consider what can you accomplish with them and start with small steps. Right now you have a small population, and yet you are here, in the largest ruin on the island? Why here? Why not rebuild one of the villages or a small town instead. It would be much easier. Secure resources. Arable land, or mutants with useful powers. Maybe try to get operative one of the steel mills. Build a solar power farm? See if among the survivors there are skilled engineers, farmers, school teachers, assess resources. Use them. For defense you can rely on us. At least for now."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna's face reddened at Scott's words, and she seemed to internally struggle with what to say or how to react. She was trying, but her emotions were all over the place. She couldn't process her thoughts, and she felt as if she were trapped mentally. Her eyes scanned the room, and she reached up to dig the heels of her hands against her eyes.

"I don't know alright? I don't know! I just.. I thought.. I-I can't--" Lorna was beginning to spiral into a full on panic attack and it wasn't looking good.

Fabian Cortez has posed:
The door opens, and the young nobleman that is Fabian Cortez, still using a cane (though not as heavily as he has been in previous days), steps in. "Your majesty," he bows from the waist. Mostly. Cane, after all. "I was directed here to give my report--" he notes the presence of Scott Summers, a faintly amused smile playing on his lips. "I heard you had company, but I felt you could use the good news: we have all the more permanent structures now with consistent power and running water. Your people are one step closer to rebuilding their lives." He grants Scott the all-too-courteous nod of recognition, but nothing more.

Scott Summers has posed:
This kind of panicking is a bit outside Scott's experience. So, he is trying to think what Xavier would do, he reaches to touch Lorna's forearm. "Well, don't worry about it right now. These are just matters to consider the next few weeks and..."

And suddenly a very disliked person steps into the X-Men's building. Scott does remember Fabian Cortez and not too fondly. "Cortez. This is not the best time," he greets tensely.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna was still recovering from PTSD, and moreover, was struggling with her already haywire emotions. All of which were made even worse by the manner in which she'd tried to push off her mental issues. She exhaled a breath, her frame practically humming with anxiety as she struggled to inhale a breath. Her face was red, and her hair clung to her cheeks in tangles.

As Scott softened and reached out for her arm, Fabian also walked in. Her expression immediately floundered, eyes darting from Scott to Fabian and trying to slow her breathing from the panicked gasps she'd been sucking in.

"Fabian... Please... remain outside until I tell you to enter." She breathed, her voice roughened from her panic attack.

Fabian Cortez has posed:
Fabian actually looks very concerned. "Your majesty-- are you all right?" He quckly moves to her side, concern etched on his features, the manilla folder he was carrying dropped, paper scattering. His cane clatters to the ground as he reaches her side, one hand moving to steady her (and, for the record, not going anywhere that might be construed as flirtatious or creepy). "Do you want me to call a medical aid? Or escort you to your tent to lay down? You cannot overstress yourself, my queen, we need you." He shoots a dark look to Scott. "What have you been doing to her?" he demands. "She needs support and aid, what have you been inflicting on our sovereign?" There's a flash of barely contained anger for a moment, then he turns back to Lorna. "Tell me what you need, and it will be done. I apologize for barging in if it contributed to your stress, Lorna."

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott blinks slowly at Cortez approach. He is not entirely sure if it is an act or not, so he hesitates for a second. "We were talking about the current events, nothing more," he replies without giving details. "Her concerns are valid, in any case. But..." he frowns. This is a state of Lorna shouldn't be seen by certain people. "She just needs more sleep. Your concern is noted, but really, a little exhaustion after the battle a few days ago is not a big deal."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna blinked at Fabian as he approached and came to her side. She shifted away, putting her shoulders back toward Scott's figure as she shifted. She was still red in the face, though her breathing calmed. "I'm.. I'm fine." She managed, barely, and she swallowed hard. She reached out to pinch the bridge of her nose as she inhaled and exhaled slowly, once.

"Scott has just... it's just news. Please Fabian, just knock before you storm in again." She let her hands fall back to her lap, pursing her lips together briefly.

Fabian Cortez has posed:
"Of course, your majesty." Fabian nods again, looking a bit pained. He gives Scott a withering look-- that didn't seem like solely exhaustion to him. But he holds his tongue for the moment. He grimaces as he stoops to retrieve his cane, sighing lightly as he regards the scattered paperwork. "I am here when you need me, Queen Lorna." He lightly taps her shoulder, granting her a wry smile. "Is there anything your... guest... requires assistance with on our fair isle?" There is only the mildest hint of venom in his tone.

Scott Summers has posed:
"I am here on X-Men business, Cortez," replies Scott, giving the other man his best poker face. "It means it is not your business," he clarifies, not even smiling. "However, I think our meeting is finished. I am going over the Blackbird systems and check with the others to see if anyone wants to come back with me. Lorna, I will be in Genosha around maybe three more hours, if you need me. And don't hesitate to call Xavier, he is available for you."