[IC] X-Men: GenetiX

[Master EffeX]

"All I'm able to discern is somewhere out in the Atlantic, they both simply vanished." Xavier delivered these words as he removed the Cerebro apparatus, some 15 minutes after he received the distressed call from Jean Grey who, presently standing by, spoke with checked frustration: "I'm positive I could come to a better answer, but with how my powers have been malfunctioning I'm reluctant to try. . ."

She knew she couldn't locate Ryder any better than Xavier, who even with Cerebro saw his daughter as only a vague mutant signature where he knew to look.
But Jean's psychic rapport with Scott was something else. Yet being connected to such a broad network as Cerebro allowed, powers amplified on top of that,
the risk to other minds -as well her own- was far too great to put any one life on top of.

"Storm and Wolverine can take the other aircraft to where I lost their signals. In the meantime I'll contact Moira and keep trying."
He repressed a thought in the back of his mind that Ryder wasn't merely incidentally involved in whatever happened.

Jean as well. . .She had to be settled enough with the game plan for now, and hold fast to the fact that neither Ryder or Cyclops were killed. At least in the latter's case she, and Xavier, would've known instantly. Still, given the degree of what she'd felt. . .She hoped where ever they were was forgiving. . .

---

Forgiving? It wasn't a word one usually associated with the Master of Magnetism

"Take him to the infirmary. He barely looks capable of holding up the weight of Xavier's expectations another second."

Ryder's wake up call had been effective. Trouble was, Cyclops found himself with two key problems when he came to. Firstly, he was bound to the chair -not overly tight; enough to keep him in place yet not exacerbate his fresh injuries. In fact the stability was probably helping as, second of all, the burning shards of metal that were figuratively -literally?!- in his chest told him he'd been set back to stage -1 where his ribs were concerned. Couple that with the catching sensation on every other breath and warm, salty expectorations that came with and he knew he was lucky to be staring into the face of the X-Men's long time adversary, Magneto, a.k.a. Charles Xavier's old friend Erik Lehnsherr.

Still, Cyclops' driven need to put the missing pieces together -namely what happened after he went down- had him trying to gain further information- looking around, trying to speak-- he knew Ryder was alive at least, but was her "thunderclap of telepathy" for his own sake or her need? Had more sentinels followed the first? It was no use. He literally choked on his words and had to submit lest he succumb.

"When will the X-Men learn struggling is futile?"

At this, Erik's attention shifted back to the world beyond the telepathic and light refracting force dome, where he could feel the metal of the jet in the atmosphere as a shark may taste blood in water.

As it seemed, reaching out to touch it was unnecessary. It was already coming to him. Though at a clip much too fast to cause anything but disaster if not corrected; so he did-- as though the earth's magnetic fields were layers of a ballistic vest catching the bullet in its path -without the deforming effects.

Beyond what Ryder would feel physically, her experience would be as though she blinked and a new world came into view, as the jet came through the semi sphere which kept probing eyes -and minds- from typically seeing Genosha.

Built of metal molded with an artist's hand, it had a futuristic and altogether otherworldly look to it. The architecture showing flashes of certain, historical styles, yet mostly standing out as its own. This was no man-made city: it was homo superior's.

Where the jet would come to stop was a mixed platform of rock and metal, looking very much like some kind of landing pad. Though what aircraft usually made use of it wasn't anywhere to be seen.

There were a few other mutants immediately in sight besides their helmet and cape-clad leader. Whether they were his personal entourage or merely lookers-on was up to their visitor to decide. Presently Magneto fixed the waif with a highly astute stare. The damaged jet making it only too easy to do so.

"And who do we have here? Charles' latest devotee?"

[Blizz]

As the jet landed down on the strange pad, the mutants gathered around would feel their minds invaded like cold water down burnt skin. Ryder dropped out of the ruined aircraft and glared at the man with the metal helmet. His kind was untouchable, but he was the easiest target here. One flick of her wrist, and that covering would be buried in his rib cage faster than he could blink.

She was scanning the others’ minds for evidence on Cylcops. All the while, she reached out with her telepathy to find that, sure enough, he was alive and was being taken care of at the very least. That was one problem taken care of for the time being. The other was was in front of her. She had no idea where she was, the jet’s radar didn’t give any indication of this being here. Ryder just looked away for a second, and some force took her here. So something unusual was going on without a doubt.

”Not sure who the hell you are, but I’m leaving with the guy who can actually fly this thing. You can try and stop me if you think you’ll survive, but I’m not in a great mood right now,” she warned.

”You’ve got ten seconds to explain yourselves before I start destroying this. Start talking.”

[Master EffeX]

Magneto looked around having heard -and seen out of the corner of his eye- the gathered mutants reacting to something negative.

His attention returned to the one in front of him. This child had just done something.
This bothered him. Though -his citizens already recovering- also intrigued him.

Her threat hit him likewise, and though his eyes held warning, his lips turned up; he wasn't about to be intimidated by this urchin.
Magneto gave a certain look to two mutants whose buttons were more easily pushed; they stood down.

"Explain why I allowed you passage here instead of leaving you to search endlessly for your injured, whom I saved from near-certain death? This is the ungrateful generation, isn't it. And you will not be destroying this," now his expression, and tone, was dead serious. Though held no combative edge, as yet; the X-Men's longest-standing foe actually wasn't looking to fight. "This is a sanctuary, child. Those robotic extensions of the human's simple impulses," -his eyes turned skywards as he referenced the sentinels; though none could be seen- "patrol in search of this place. If you prefer to return to the mercy of their radar, by all means. You'll find your pilot recovered in remarkably short time, though it will still take some. If I can trust you won't harm the citizens of Genosha, you may wait for him where you like."

With that Magneto gave a half-turn, and stood as though he were a living marker of a crossroads.
Ryder could walk past him towards the city proper, if she liked,

--most of the other mutants had already started walking away, one looking like they thought they were taking their chances in doing so.
The more defensive two doing so gradually, as if undecided if they should -or wanted to- stay or go--

or Ryder could stay right where she was.

Of course there was always the third option. . .Magneto's steely eyes conveying his readiness should she make that mistake.

[Blizz]

Ryder, being the feral little shit that she was, mostly stood down when the old man in the helmet referred to this place as Genosha. She viewed the entire world through monitors and screens. She could be within hundreds of feet of any device with a connection to the internet, and find her way to any place that existed through that. Ryder was smarter than she looked, she knew the name of almost every country out there by heart.

“Genosha” didn’t ring a bell.

The sheer curiosity of that was water to the flames. A “sanctuary” for mutants sounded utterly fucking worthless to her, having grown up in a “sanctuary” for mutants her whole life.

But more importantly, she needed to find Cyclops. So she played along, and let Magneto walk away. Without saying a word, she walked off of the landing pad, and into the so-called paradise itself.

I know you can hear me. You’re somewhere in this city. I don’t know where. Figure something out before the fuckwit in the helmet makes a move.

[Master EffeX]

If someone like Xavier or Jean spoke to Cyclops telepathically, that was a good indicator they were keeping enough of a tap on his mind, at least for the following few moments, that he could think back to them.

He had a feeling Ryder wasn't that kind of telepath. That she preferred the "call" to be one-way, and frankly, having her in his head was rather a different experience. . .he made no effort to respond. Both had enough intel on the other, for now: Ryder knew he was in the city. Now he knew she was, too -sounding no worse for wear. She wanted him to figure something out. Was this Ryder trusting him? Or was this a warning that if he didn't want her brand of a solution, he had better be the first to come to one. . .his mind became suffused with a sensation of artificial darkness, some kind of void. . .Wait, this wasn't--

Next thing he knew, clarity came like waking from a dream.
Indeed, from a lain position, Cyclops took in his surroundings and the condition of his body. He felt surprisingly little pain, and not like he was on medication for that.
There was someone there.

They met his gaze -as well as it could be met, anyway, given his visor. "Gen has used her abilities -a projected healing factor- to treat your injuries. It still takes time, so you should stay with us for the day at least."

"A projected healing factor?" He understood what this other mutant meant by it, but having not encountered such a mutation before, it interested him.

"It requires Gen to touch the point of injury, so we did have to perform surgery so she had access to your lung and ribs, though she healed the incision points on her way back out."

They had, of course, removed the chest portion of Cyclops' uniform, so presently he looked down at his bare skin, surprised to find that he could only find faint traces of any procedure--like wounds at a healed-over stage of a much later point. "How long has it been since I was brought here?"

"Three quarters of an hour."

Cyclops was impressed. This must be what it feels like to be Logan.
"Someone else arrived here after me," he got back to business, being careful as he transitioned into an upright position, though he hardly felt the need to be.
"Do you know where they are?" He slide his legs off the padded medical table and was standing a second later.

The other mutant shook their head. "No one else has been brought to us. You're fine to go look for them."

Even without their permission, that was exactly what Cyclops intended to do. "Thank you." He looked around, and not seeing any other mutant, he added,
"thank Gen for me." At their nod, he suited back up -damaged though his uniform now was- and left.

His second surprise came when he happened on Magneto after only a couple minutes of looking around.
The Master of Magnetism appeared to be in the middle of constructing some other type of building, with all the ease and creative flex as a hobby sculptor.
Cyclops had paused and was at an oblique angle to him, but Magneto caught sight of the X-Man. "Up and about, I see."

Another moment of a measured look, part on Magneto himself and part on his work, Cyclops walked closer. "I was flying with someone. Where are they?"

"Wandering freely around here, where they desire not to be. Perhaps she'll learn, though Charles has never been much for instilling free thinking."
He turned his attention back to his task.

Maybe a 'thanks' for orchestrating his medical aid would've made it past Cyclops' lips had it not been for this slight against the Professor. Instead he wordlessly left the older man to his construction. 'You don't bother me, I won't bother you,' the silence seemed to say.

Though Magneto spoke before he got too far:
"I would be more careful if I were you. . .leaving a family behind."

It took just a couple seconds for Cyclops to understand what, specifically, Magneto was referring to.
In the same moment, his expression contorted. "If that's meant as a threat, Magneto-"

"It's not. . .I had, once, what you're preparing for." Magneto looked straight at him. You should seriously consider making this where that life starts.
Give your family the chance mine wasn't allowed."

Cyclops looked upon him like he was seeing someone other than the once leader of the Brotherhood. . .somewhat.
Behind his visor his gaze lowered as his thoughts went to the subject(s) of the conversation.

"You're familiar now with the mutant medical care we have. What human hospital exists that you know of, that would consent to bringing another of our kind into what they believe to be their world?" At this, Magneto turned away. "The invitation is extended indefinitely. When you've made the correct choice, get word to me and I'll ensure you safe passage. As I've already told your feisty charge, sentinels patrol these skies in search of their Atlantis."

Cyclops continued on to find Ryder, feeling for once, that Magneto had actually given him something worth thinking about.
And he didn't like any bit of that.

[Blizz]

Genosha seemed like a different place than anything Ryder was familiar with, as much as she was personally familiar with anything in the world. She walked down a street where mutants, and not a single human, were going about their days. It was a busy morning, with flying mutants setting up the outside of what looked like a stage where a few others were making shapes with illusions. Chairs were being arranged for a currently absent audience by a psychic, while a glowing green portal allowed others to slowly trickle in.

Someone on the stage waved at Ryder. She started walking faster.

Ryder didn't want to be here. She didn't know who these people were, and that alone made the X-men a preferable option. She didn't want these people getting the idea that she was one of them, mutant or not. She kept walking down the busy downtown area, where others were out and about. Genosha had the appearance of a city where actual people ran things, not a desert of concrete and rebar like most places. There was nothing sterile about the city, buildings were colorful, made by people who wanted warmth in the landscape. It was obvious based on Ryder's surroundings. There weren't parking lots outnumbering buildings, but sprawling sidewalks that let people roam free.

Ryder always wondered how humans could tolerate metal coffins on wheels as the main way to get around their own homes. But then again, she wasn't human. Maybe that was why she didn't care very much for this, either. It was a human problem, and this was a solution of Genosha, which wasn't her world.

She passed a large, circular building made from red-orange stone. Cube-shaped protrusions jutted out in what Ryder assumed were places for people to sit inside. The words "Genosha City Library" were played out in silvery letters above a pair of double doors, atop a flight of stairs marked with what looked like street art. Ryder could see people moving around inside, and wondered what they had tucked away. She stared the building down, feeling around inside with her power, and didn't find much on computers. They had a digital backlog of every book, but not much about mutants.

What kind of mutant utopia didn't have an extensive library of mutant books? That was just a disappointment more than anything. If they were this special, they could just write their own.

She turned and kept walking. It was warm today, warmer than the old man's mansion or the lab. Warm in a comforting way.

Ryder passed a park, where kids half her age were throwing a soccer ball around with their powers. The ball shot at her like a bullet, and was promptly stopped midair with her powers, still spinning at an absurd speed where it floated, and Ryder hadn't even flinched. A kid with four arms and skin like craggy stone ran over to her, barely three feet tall.

"Sorry!" They croaked, their voice was grating to Ryder. "Nice catch, you wanna play with us? We really need a goalk-"

"Leave. Me. Alone."

Ryder turned and glared daggers at the kid. Her eyes might've set them on fire if she wanted, and that alone was enough for them to shut up. Ryder flicked her wrist, and the soccer ball was sent flying back over his head with a loud crack of the wind. The four-armed mutant flinched, and Ryder walked away.

People were staring. She didn't care.

She felt out with her powers for Cyclops, he was significantly closer, if her psychic abilities were correct.

This place is getting on my nerves. The jet can fly, it's not busted that badly. We don't need to stay here any longer than it takes for you to stand up.

She was exercising extreme levels of patience by not leaving without him.

I already ripped one of those machines apart. I'll do it again.

[Master EffeX]

Cyclops filed away what Magneto had put into his mind to ruminate on later, focusing on task- when he found someone else's thoughts suddenly put into his head. Again he experienced the peculiar sensation like his head was suddenly too tight- like Ryder's mental voice was no more agreeable to being confined than she was in body.

It wasn't painful. More like vaguely uncomfortable.

He instinctually braced himself for what was going to follow "I already ripped one", but was relieved she was only referring to the sentinels. And, she'd said the jet could fly. Had she landed it here? If she had, he would be impressed. Though, what hadn't Ryder proved capable of in just the short time they'd been acquainted?

Cyclops had paused when her voice sounded in his head and he now resumed looking around. It took only another minute or so before he saw her coming around a building about a half block's distance away.

"I'm sorry for what happened," he stated once he'd come to be standing in front of her. Assessing her visually she certainly looked to have been spared any further harm. His sense of remorse was alleviated.

Still. . .he had been responsible for Ryder and blew it. Again.

He'd learned some time ago that it didn't matter how prepared you were, didn't matter if you did everything right, somethings were not in your control. No matter how much you took in your hands, something was always out of them.

But that concept didn't apply here, as Cyclops didn't feel he had done everything right - he hadn't checked all the boxes that he was able to check. Not in his opinion.

Which seemed to be a refrain with Ryder.

If he'd done a better job intercepting her at Umbra, she wouldn't have made it to town which resulted in injury to herself as well as to others. If he'd been better prepared up front, he wouldn't have gotten himself compromised nor would he have been away from Jean which, unsettling circumstances notwithstanding, lead to his rookie level mistake of allowing his attention to be divided. To the subsequent result of Ryder getting away from them -from him, again- and the very final consequence of what happened in the black forest.

And now? He'd been alert and task-focused enough, but still the jet went down. He went down.
If Ryder had been a causality he didn't think he could be convinced it wasn't by his failing.

At least that wasn't the reality he was facing.

"We can go. . .Where's the jet?" Sure the nurse had told him he should stay with them for the day, but he felt fine enough. He wasn't going to make another mistake by testing what patience of Ryder's he felt she had left. From what little he'd glimpsed, Magneto did appear to have a good, even a great thing, going here.

There was just one problem as it pertained to their leaving.
No sooner had Cyclops asked the question when something caught his eye, and there, traveling over their heads in the direction Cyclops had just come, was the unmistakable side of a Lockheed SR-71.

Having turned with its movement, Cyclops watched as it came to rest by where he'd left Magneto, who now repurposed it for the building he was erecting.

Cyclops strode back over as other pieces of the jet sailed overhead; to the fascination of the soccer kids.

"I thought you were giving us a choice to stay?" Anger flashed in his face and his tone.

"I didn't arrive where I am today by not taking advantage of what I was given. I do thank you for your gift of metal."

His smug smile and tone was like kindling to Cyclops' emotion, but he kept it in check.
"How can I get message out from here?"

"You needn't bother." At this Magneto looked up, which caused Cyclops' gaze to go skywards as well, just in time to see the expanse of blue clouding over too suddenly to be a natural change of the weather.

Magneto paused his construction to grab at the sky, and within moments the slate grey clouds gave way to charcoal black and took shape; a piece of the sky coming down on the city until it became apparent it was the X-Men's second jet.

Magneto had felt it resist before it had surrendered, those on board clearly realizing this was where they'd been headed all along to pick up their strays.

To the further fascination of the young and growing interest of the older, he landed the jet right there in the city square.
Its engines were already off.

Storm disembarked, returning the heavens to their previous state of clarity as the X-Men now had the knowledge that Magneto must have his own means of keeping undetected; they hadn't known they were coming up on Genosha until they'd felt his magnetic pull.

Wolverine followed, looking around like 'what is this joint?'

And next down the ramp, surprisingly, was Xavier. "We didn't know what happened to you," he stated, almost by way of greeting as his eyes fell on Cyclops then set on Ryder; a certain look crossing his face. He had wanted to see for himself that she was alright, not wait passively for the information to be conveyed. The time for him being a distance away from her life had passed.