Meeting In The Park.

[coinmover]

 What:  An action log for Magneto's meeting of the super-powered.
Who: Anyone who wants to come!  He's hardly checking superpowers at the door!
When: 7 PM, June 11th.
Where: The gazebo at Seaside Park.

Erik stood at the edge of the gazebo, looking out over the sea as the sun set and silently preparing himself.  He was not... public-spirited by nature, and while he felt no fear at the thought of addressing a crowd, nevertheless there was a tension, a nervous excitement.  He could change the balance of power here.  A test run for back home.

Unseen, in the rafters above him, he had set half a dozen large iron ball bearings in a steady orbit.  Their regularity was calming to him, as was the security they could provide him at a moment''s notice.  Reaching out with his senses, he could detect the electrical fixtures in the gazebo, the streetlights that edged the park, the cars on the street, and several dozen other small pieces of metal moving -- belt buckles, coins, cell phone components... sometimes, the familiar shape of a gun.

He continued watching the sea until the first of these collections of metal objects moved toward him, and then -- before it came close enough to make a sound -- turned to see who his first guest was.

Comments

[icanbuyafez]

The Doctor wanders over and offers his hand.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor. Who might you be?"

[sunflowersister]

"I -- oh," Ukraine fusses in surprise, taking the Doctor's hand and shaking it curiously. "I'm Ukraine! Hello!"

[icanbuyafez]

The Doctor's handshake is very enthusiastic, and his voice and countenance reflect that same level of energy.

"Ukraine! It's a pleasure to meet you. Are you a country too, then?"

[sunflowersister]

Ukraine's smile goes from anxious to blindingly cheerful in an instant. "That's right! You've met one of us before?"

[icanbuyafez]

The Doctor's cheerfulness is just as blinding. Another country! Fantastic!

"That I have! I met Arthur, or England, I suppose, when he got here. Gave him a tour of my time machine. Although I must say, meeting the anthropomorphic representation of a nation is still fairly incredible. Never saw that one coming. And it is odd to meet people that are older than I am, for once."

[sunflowersister]

It's rare to meet someone so enthusiastic about them -- normally it's confusion, which is admittedly understandable, they don't even put a lot of thought into their own lives. "Oh, I should have guessed, you do sound English!"

Then she does a sort of verbal double-take, stammering, "Ah -- I'm so sorry -- did you say time machine?"

[icanbuyafez]

"Do I? Well, I suppose I have spent a fair bit of time there. Although personally, I've always thought that the English all sound sort of Gallifreyan.

Oooh, right. Sorry, I keep forgetting about that not being normal for everyone. Yes, I have a time machine. See that box over there?"

He gestures to a blue police box a hundred yards or so to the right.

"That's her. She's called the TARDIS - Time And Relative Dimension In Space. She's gorgeous, too, isn't she."

[sunflowersister]

"Well, being a nation isn't normal for everyone either, so it's fine!" Craning her head slightly, Ukraine raises her eyebrows, looking curiously at the box. "Oh, that's a good one. Much more innocuous than a car, I think. I like it -- ah, she? I like her!"

[icanbuyafez]

"Well, she doesn't actually look like that. It's a disguise. She's meant to blend in, although those circuits actually malfunctioned a little while back. She's looked like this ever since. I think it's a good look for her. The inside is far more impressive, though."

[sunflowersister]

Ukraine nods thoughtfully. That makes sense, a time machine would have to have impressive parts, wouldn't it? "I hope she likes it too, it would be terrible to be stuck in the same outfit if you didn't enjoy it."

[icanbuyafez]

The Doctor smiled broadly. It wasn't often he found someone who treated the TARDIS properly, who cared for her feelings.

"That's very kind of you to think of. But I am sure she would let me know somehow if she wanted me to change it. She's very good at letting me now how she's feeling."

[sunflowersister]

"Oh, that's good!" She smiles back, genuinely pleased. Honestly, a sentient ship doesn't even sound far-fetched -- certainly not to a sentient country.

Then she frowns a bit, remembering why the slowly growing crowd has gathered in the first place. "I suppose it would be a bit hopeless to ask if you're here because one of you knows a way out, wouldn't it?"

[icanbuyafez]

The Doctor mirrors her frown.

"Well, yes, I expect that if any of us actually knew a way out, there would be no need for this meeting in the first place. But I am very knowledgeable about advanced science and technology - I may be able to help come up with something, with everyone working together.

However, I am also here in case this gets out of hand. A group of angry, desperate, super powered-people - well, you can imagine they might do some drastic things. And even if they don't, it is true that the island might. I'm mostly here to make sure nobody gets hurt."

[sunflowersister]

Ukraine nods again, "That's true. I mean, I've seen enough regular human riots get dangerous quickly, let alone anything like... this." She grimaces, imagining the harm. "Forgive me for saying it, but I really hope no one needs a doctor after this."

[icanbuyafez]

"Yes, we are in agreement on that count. I hope the most I have to worry about in the next few weeks is who to take with me when the field is taken down and we fly off in the TARDIS! Somehow, I doubt that that will be the case.

So have you met our host? What do you think of him?"

[sunflowersister]

"I think," Ukraine starts slowly, considering, "I think he sounds like he knows what he's doing? Or at least, has a clearer idea than anyone else seems to have, which is probably a good thing."

[icanbuyafez]

"If he knows what he's doing, that is a good thing or not depending on just what it is he is doing. There are still many ways this could go very badly."