driftfleet | (no subject)

Who: Charles Xavier + You
Broadcast: Video
Action: SS Heron
When: Right now!

[ The video starts with Charles sitting on his wheelchair, his hands neatly folded on his lap. He rubs faint circles on his legs for a few seconds, the only real sign of tension. ]

Hello. My names is Charles Xavier. I am a geneticist graduated from Oxford. I -- [ ran ] -- run a school in Westchester for the Gifted. Mutants. People with abilities. My focus is the training and control of abilities we do not always fully understand, abilities that are gifts but can often run amok.

[ He pauses, catching his second wind before continuing on, poised. ]

I am also a telepath with a full set of abilities in aiding the mind and extremely . . . proficient. I do not read minds without permission, because honestly, I really don't care.

[ Charles pauses again, wondering if he should say more and dismisses it. People can ask him if they need details - which they will. ]

If anyone would like to make use of my abilities and skills, they are certainly most welcome to. Confidentiality, of course, is key and you need not make anything public if you do not wish to. If you have any questions for me, the floor is open for you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Man, everyone from the Windrose is using the encryption feature today.]

Thank you for the offer. I've spoken with Wanda and she's quite eager to meet someone else with a similar power.

She's also asked me to join you two, if you don't mind. If it will make you feel more comfortable, I am willing to let my mind be open be open for the exercise; I have nothing to hide.

[ What is even happening on that ship. ]

Certainly. You don't have to if you don't want to.

[It's like a bunch of them want to have private conversations with him or something.]

I'm not bothered by it.

[He pauses for a short moment.]

Although I'd advise against probing what would appear in my mind as a yellow barrier, similar to the jewel in my forehead. The results could be...unpredictable.

[ He's very popular lately. ]

The . . . stone is conscious?

In a way very different than a human consciousness, yes. It's...been shown to be dangerous, even to powerful individuals.

It's compartmentalized within my mind, however, and cannot be accessed by accident. I can do that much, at least.

. . . How exactly is the stone conscious? What is it?

It's called an Infinity Stone, and it's a source of power. This one, the Mind Stone, has been used to directly control others, to influence them indirectly, to provide a template for an artificial intelligence, and part of its energy was siphoned off to give Wanda and her brother Pietro their abilities.

As for what it truly is, I'm afraid even I don't know much more than that.

[ So Wanda wasn't a mutant. Not that it matters. Anyone who needs help is welcome to come to Charles, but it removes the possibility of her being Erik's completely. ]

So it's something unearthly. Alien in origin.

Oh, yes. There are legends of the Infinity Stones going back thousands of years among many other civilizations.

[Thor's stories are really the most reliable information he has, and they're just that, children's stories.]

What do they say?

[ Not that he plans to access Vision's mind, but a foreign entity inside another . . . raises questions. ]

That there are six; that should they ever be gathered together, it would cause a great ending. I know of three that have been on Earth at various times; the other two are the Tesseract and the Aether, both currently held elsewhere, and this one, the Mind Stone.

[ A prophecy. One that would usually be dismissed if he wasn't looking at one of those items. Briefly, Charles recalls what Kitty and Erik had said about Apocalypse. ]

I think your chances of that happening are quite high.

[He won't disagree, instead looking somber.] The vision for which I was named showed a chance, however small, that I could make a difference in the fall toward chaos. I hope to prove it correct.

[ Bluntly. ] You'll need more than hope.

You'll need a team.

[He smiles a bit.]

I have a team. Wanda is one of its members.

There are few enough of us here, naturally.

Us?

The Avengers.

[ He takes a minute to parse that. ]

That's a strong name.

It was coined by a strong man.

Doesn't the term "avenge" mean that you're there only after the problem has occurred?

[ He's teasing, a little. Charles finds code names and even being called the X-Men a little excessive. ]

[He looks slightly pained at that, actually.]

Ideally not, but I understand it's meant to convey a sense of defense rather than offense.

The Defenders might be a better name for that. But I know how these things get started. Usually in the heat of the moment.

["Avengers" was probably as low on the hostility tree as Nick Fury was willing to go. Ah well.]

Indeed. I certainly don't claim to be responsible for the name. I'm quite fond of the team itself, of course.

Of course.

[ Charles' voice is faintly nostalgic. ] We often are.

Perhaps I'll even see them again some day.

[But after a moment his expression clears.]

In any case, do you have a desired time and place to meet?

Re: video; private

axiomed - 2016-05-21 01:49 (UTC) - Expand

video; private

unbearablynaive - 2016-05-21 01:53 (UTC) - Expand

axiomed - 2016-05-21 01:55 (UTC) - Expand

unbearablynaive - 2016-05-21 02:46 (UTC) - Expand

axiomed - 2016-05-21 02:51 (UTC) - Expand

unbearablynaive - 2016-05-21 02:53 (UTC) - Expand

axiomed - 2016-05-21 02:55 (UTC) - Expand

unbearablynaive - 2016-05-21 02:59 (UTC) - Expand

axiomed - 2016-05-21 03:18 (UTC) - Expand

unbearablynaive - 2016-05-21 03:26 (UTC) - Expand

axiomed - 2016-05-21 03:32 (UTC) - Expand

unbearablynaive - 2016-05-21 03:34 (UTC) - Expand

axiomed - 2016-05-21 03:35 (UTC) - Expand