17674/The roost.

The roost.
Date of Scene:	17 April 2024
Location:	Liberty Island
Synopsis:	In the end, dominance is asserted. No shot is fired, so what becomes of the bomb and the fuse? Tune in tomorrow for the exciting cutscene conclusion!
Cast of Characters:	Helmut Zemo, Aldrif Odinsdottir

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Helmut Zemo has posed:
Summoned by a cryptic message from Baron Zemo, Angela would be greeted at the base of the Statue of Liberty, which was currently surrounded by hooded agents. She would be treated as the expected VIP and escorted up the insanely long winding stairwell inside the statue, which lead to the windows at the crown and then down in across the arm to the torch where Zemo was waiting. He was dressed in skin tight tactical gear, looking very similar to his bevy of agents. Nearby was a heavy duty tripod, mounted on it, some kind of -massive- rifle, festooned with optical and electrical gear.

"Welcome, Angela." offered Baron Zemo, his playboy smile was absent.

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
Angela has come to the meeting of her own accord but seems uneasy at once as she's led by the guards up to Zemo. She stands amid the torch and frowns, "Greetings," she mutters, "What is this excessively overdone meeting? What is going on here?" she asks pointedly. She eyes the rifle and the other things Zemo has done to take over the torch. She is dressed in her usual battle attire but she wears a cloak which blows about cause it's windy up there.

Helmut Zemo has posed:
"All this was already planned, I've invited you a long. Show you a little bit of what I do, so that you walk into any moment we share with absolute clarity." he said, his purring Slovakian growl of an accent rolling down his chest confidently. He had a way of speaking without separating his teeth much that was both smooth and disconcerting.

Helmut indicated the rifle, "Take a look." then he placed his palm on the taller woman's shoulder and gently pressed her down until her eye could meet with the optical interface.

"What do you see?" he asked her.

In the site should could see a distant container ship, almost far enough to be invisible with the naked eye in the current weather pattern, but that and literally nothing else seemed to bother the rather insanely complex and effective optical gear assembled on the weapon platform. It even allowed her to see through the walls of the ship and track the movement of humanoids in its bowels. Inside she could see a human huddled into a ball surrounded by what looked like guards. Some stationary, some on patrol.

"I'll tell you what I see. I see a bomb that is about to detonate."

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
Angela leans down and gazes into Zemo's telescopic interface, narrowing her eyes a bit as she listens to what he is saying. "You will sink this ship?" she wonders.

She straightens up and eyes him now in a more aggressive way now that she's heard his plan, "None of these ...men could stop me if I wanted to take you in," she adds indignantly. She puts her hands on her hips as she simply awaits Zemo's next move before making hers.

Helmut Zemo has posed:
"Dont be fatuous. This is a gun, not a missile launcher. Rifle, show her program 2." he ordered it, and the gimble re-oriented to a different location. He beckoned her back to the optical site again, "And this is the fuse for the bomb." he explained, showing her another target, this one also seemingly guarded but instead of huddled, the human form was sitting at a table in an apartment, eating something.

"This is what they now call: An Oracle. She is a psychically powered altered human, that is to say not born with her power, not a mutant. The oracles are physically altered biochemically to enter a state in which they can locate and identify mutants with a specific gene, we call it the "Bomb" gene. For days before they enter their final trance, Oracles begin to emit psychoauric flashes of the targeted mutant they are linked to. The program originally was designed to identify these mutants so they could be found an supressed for the safety of those around them, but we have uncovered a problem: and that is simply that it is far more likely that the Oracles actually cause the genetic expression of the bomb gene."

He released his palm from her shoulder. "So now, Angela, let us say you know who the bomb mutant is, you know who their oracle is. You know when the Oracle will begin their trance." he held up a single massive round that likely goes in the gun. "Do you just let nature take its course, or do you interfere?"

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
Angela raises her chin as Zemo gives her a choice instead, "A bomb gene?" she wonders, "I hast never heard of such a thing," she mutters, though shakes her head as if believing him nonetheless.

Angela reaches for the large round Zemo holds with a frown, "No one shall come to harm while I am standing," she tells him directly, as if it were that simple, "Migard is full of surprises it is true. However, I doubt you think I wilt go along with this," she explains. She fingers her sword, perhaps contmplating slicing something in half and frowns again as that won't get to the bottom of this situation.

Helmut Zemo has posed:
Zemo let her take it, he smiled, seeming to like something she said. "Well, that is a path you can take." he relaxed back against the safety railing and observed the tall woman in her battle bikini.

"Unfortunately in a short while the Oracle will enter her trance, and the mutant at Program 1 will go critical. We know what her gene is, but in truth we dont know the variety of her mayhem. I've seen energy emission, disease, toxic fungal sporing. In this case she is surrounded by my men, they...might not die." he conceded, "...immediately."

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
Angela palms the ammo but doesn't seem pleased after taking it. "Toxic fungal sporing? Surely not," she mutters with a frown. She grows quiet and eyes the machinery again that Zemo has brought to the statue, seemingly unable to chop or stab away this situation.

"Hopefully you are not exaggerating for my benefit," Angela smirks, "You have a solution to this situation?" she asks him, "What is it you want? Tell me, immediately," she demands.

"I have a mutant friend with great resources," Angela adds, "These mutant Migardians do not seem to take well to evil plotting."

Helmut Zemo has posed:
"Its a difficult call to make, one that requires a conviction to a set of principles and a willingness to lead in a given direction and shoulder the consequences. That's why I brought you here, not to make the decision, I would not force you to undergo that kind of ego death, I like you." he reached over and took the bullet back from her grasp if she allowed, holding it in his fist but making no ovation about loading gun. "I brought you here to show you the kind of man I am. I am the man who can decide."

He matched her gaze, "Rifle, Program 2." and then he explained, "Killing the oracle is the most humane thing to do. The mutant is innocent, and cannot help what she is, and she may not even express her gene ever, or for years. Perhaps someone like Professor X could find her with Cerebro, perhaps he can train her over the years to control her terrible power. If the Oracle is allowed to detonate her, the future is determined and people will die." he loaded the barrel, shiCLOCK. "Kill one to save many."

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
Angela lets Zemo take his little bullet back,and listens while he gives her the low down on his ego trip, "How nice of you," she mutters sarcastically, "Seems what you say is correct." She reaches for him rather threateningly though, and tries to lift him off the ground, "But you do not control me!" she lets out.

If he evades her, either way, it's clear Angela is threatening Zemo. She plops him down and goes all pointy finger, "I think I wilt be forced to alert the mutants," she tells him, "And they will probably come for you." She doesn't look happy with this whole elaborate situation, especially not being able to do anything about it. However, she rests her hand on her sword and says, "Then we will be done with this," she adds, liking that last part.