Reporting for duty (Magneto)

[Primer]

"See to it that the car is taken care of mister Madrox,"
Primer flips his keys to Madrox, a smile curling the corners of his lips slowly upwards. Perfect he thinks with the satisfaction of a plan gone off without a hitch. How often in life does something go off just the way you imagined? It’s what he strives for and he has an edge, but that sort of synchrony still doesn’t happen as often as Primer would like. He hears the door behind him swing open and his smile broadens at that little demonstration of Magneto’s powers. Never been among equals before. It might be interesting.

"Everyone else.....,"
It’s another good sign when everyone scatters without even needing the sentence finished. He eyes the lingerers carefully, memorizing their faces, he assumes that he’ll be welcome here but no one is making any pretenses about there being honor amongst thieves- or internationally reviled mutant terrorists- he supposes.


"Elliot.....,"
That gives him pause. The room is empty now. This is supposed to be sending him a message. Invisible or…oh, psychic of course. He stops himself from looking around, that would look far too startled, and thinks calmly with what feels as much like mental annunciation as he can approximate. Well if I’m right… hello there. Let me know if you need help finding anything, the mental approximation of a laugh follows the thought.

"Now Primer.....let's have that discussion...and some brandy,"
Primer waits for a moment before following Magneto up the stairs, unwilling to seem like a puppet on a string. He has no illusions of grandeur, after all when you have power they don’t have to be illusions, and he’s never been much interested in grandeur per-se, more in comfort, quiet superiority, and contentment. Still, the appearance of weakness in himself, in any man, is what he despises above all and so though he will follow he will do it in his own time thank-you-kindly. Most people would have considered this train of thought over thinking the situation. Which, Primer held, was why most people were pathetic and uncomfortable.

Arriving at the top of the stairs he followed Magneto to his quarters and paused just inside the doorway, posture upright but relaxed, waiting. He’d laid his cards out neatly on the table, now it was time to see what Magneto would make of his hand.

[Magneto]

Magneto didn't really give Primer much time to follow or object to his summons in any way, after all, like it would matter if said guest wanted to or not, the alternate route to leaving this hideout being much darker and a hell of a lot more painful. The old man opted for his usual stance, his hands behind his back and his posture straight, gaze straight ahead. The silence which filled the large space between the two mutants was heavy and thick, yet another intimidation technique Magneto resorted to when spinning a situation to his advantage. Primer however, seemed to be on another level than the usual new recruit and in a small way, Magneto was rather glad. Finding someone he could rely on to lead a small task force was rare and with Pyro gone, a void had to filled.

The door to Magneto's private study was made of metal, as was almost every single thing within the room, yet another advantage the old man would take. Magneto knew where his strengths and gifts lied and as such, he took extra steps to ensure that they were used and carried out flawlessly, hence all the metal. With a mere glance, the handle of the door turned and the door opened soundlessly, allow Magneto and his guest entrance into the small study. Inside, a metallic and rather barren room awaited, a large desk and two chairs were the only real furniture here, save for a few office toys on the desk and a few files and charts.

"Have a seat Primer," Magneto said as he himself took up position behind the desk in his personal chair, the door to the room closing behind Primer and leaving the man alone with Magneto. A small space located toward the middle of the left wall slid open to reveal a silver serving tray with two glasses on them, just one of the many secrets this room held.

[Primer]

And then there is silence. Primer waits it out calmly, he’s a businessman after all and such intimidation tactics are tools of every corporate bigwig worth dealing with. Still, they’re respectable tools and their use is not to be openly scoffed at. He stands inside the threshold, waiting politely but also with no visible signs of nerves as Magneto pulls out the glasses and otherwise continues to display his power. I will not challenge you, but you aren’t going to rattle me either he thinks and if the little psychic tucked away wants to report that to the boss, well, that’s just fine.

"Have a seat Primer,"
He does, settling into the chair carefully and placing the crystal glass upon the table, waiting for the request to pour, if it will come. He’s not using his pheromones- at this juncture that would be both foolish and unnecessary.

“So,” he begins carefully, “Is this my job interview or are you still deciding whether or not to kill me?” he punctuates this with a laugh devoid of all warmth, a strange artificial, noise heard usually in board rooms and at cocktail parties. Celebrity dies hard.

[Magneto]

"Kill you? My good sir, If I wanted you dead, then you wouldn't have even made it inside the compound. Domino is quiet the remarkable shot you know," Magneto said with a smile and soft laugh, mimicking the facade of Primer. These two would perhaps get along quite well, after all, each one seemed to know how to play the others around them, with Primer having a slight advantage in that situation. Magneto had already taken into consideration the capabilities of his current 'guest'. Sure, Magneto had a silver tongue and a way with words, he knew how to read those around him and just who to seek out to strengthen his own hold, but Primer...well....all he needed to do was just be in the same room with someone.

Setting back in his chair, Magneto put his fingertips together in a pyramid of sorts (you know that thing that all villains and criminal masterminds have a way of doing), staring Primer down. "I have no doubt Primer that you could be very useful to the Brotherhood, but you already know that or else you wouldn't be here. However Priimer....I do know that your a smart man....and that your only here because you see something in all of this for you....So, why don't we just skip all the talk and false pretenses of drinks and the buddy system, shall we? What really brings you to me?," he asked now, his smile slowly fading with each word as his cold blue eyes remained locked onto Primer's. Magneto was no fool, misguided at times yes, but never a fool. He knew full well the consequences for his actions and he knew the attraction of the cause he fought so hard, the attraction with drew mutants such as Primer into his fold, but he also knew that these particular individuals came with a price....everyone did.

[Primer]

"I have no doubt Primer that you could be very useful to the Brotherhood, but you already know that or else you wouldn't be here. However Priimer....I do know that your a smart man....and that your only here because you see something in all of this for you....So, why don't we just skip all the talk and false pretenses of drinks and the buddy system, shall we? What really brings you to me?,"

Primer leans back in his chair, looking pleased with Magneto’s response and seeming unruffled by his scrutiny though of course no one, no matter how arrogant, no matter how confident, can look into the eyes of a man like Magneto and not feel some small tremor somewhere within himself.

“To be honest,” Primer begins, “the human-mutant conflict has been quite profitable for me.” he pauses and smiles, fingering the cuff of his expensive suit for a moment before continuing, “I’ve made a small fortune as a mutant ‘sympathizer’ and psychological councilor. I run mostly on the mainstream media circuit, I’m Doctor Sean Garrison when I’m there, and I quite enjoy it. I speak at Harvard, appear on TV, live in a comfortable house, and have everything I could want on someone else’s expense. That is why I never saw the need to declare myself a mutant publicly and why I never joined your cause or your opposition- it was more profitable for me to stay well out of it and I always assumed that it would all work itself out eventually and that I would be fine in the meanwhile with my mutation.”

His jaw clenches slightly before he continues, incongruous in someone usually so completely under control. “You may know what comes next- it was well enough publicized. A protestor shot me with an old cure dart he’d managed to get his hands on. I played it off for the media and officially I’m in my vacation home working on my next book right now.” he smiles slightly at the thought, he’s never actually ‘worked’ on a book in his life. He’s a good enough writer when it comes to it, but why exert yourself when other people are just leaping to ghost write? At least they are after some pheromone influence.

“After this I waited for my mutation to come back in said vacation home and rethought my position. I’ve discovered that I must concede that the progression of mutant supremacy isn’t quite so smooth as I assumed it. I want it be accomplished as soon as possible so that I can go back to a lifestyle I grew to enjoy very much. I’m here because I believe you are the one best able to bring this about. No noble sentiments about our glorious dead, no dawn of a new era nonsense, I just want to get this over with. So what it boils down to is this- your ends are my ends and I’ll do what I can to bring them about under your direction. I don’t particularly care about power or glory, just a return to comfort.”

He leans back further after that little speech and raises his eyebrows at Magneto. Some might have pretended an earnest devotion to the leader’s cause, or more serious motives, but to Primer’s mind honesty was the best policy when dealing with a violent terrorist who had a psychic at his beck and call. He knows that Magneto will probably scorn a comfortable lifestyle as a goal but doesn’t really care what Magneto’s opinion of him is, so long as he helps him.

[Magneto]

Magneto listened quietly to Primer as the man went through what seemed like a rehearsed speech....more than likely considering who was coming to see after all. Magneto was known for many things by many different people. Some saw him as a genius who wanted nothing more than to save his people from a plight that threatened to wipe them from the planet and others saw him as nothing more than a sadistic mad man bent on some insane hell bent world domination kick, but one thing that all who knew him or knew of him and the things he had done knew how determined and unforgiving he could be if pushed far enough or if provoked to be. Primer no doubt had some worry about meeting Magneto, and if not then he seriously underestimated the old man and put far too much stock in his own unique ability. Sure, Primer could incapacitate Magneto easily, but with the other's which loyally served the master of magnetism, then well, that control would be very short lived.

"Ah...the cure," Magneto said once Primer was done, giving a half hearted smile and nod of his head as he dissected the rest of the conversation which was still fresh in his mind. Magneto felt a bit of anger well up inside of him as he thought more and more about the cure, but with a bit of effort, he restrained that anger for the moment, but there was no guarantee that it would stay that way for long.

This whole affair of Primer joining the Brotherhood was uneasy at best, after all, from his explanation, Primer was no better than some hired mercenary, working for the highest paying client or in this case, working for the goal that best suited him. The others in the Brotherhood all had their reasons for joining and fighting for Magneto, but all did so because this was their only way to have what they wanted, like it or not. Primer however, only wanted to find his comfortable lifestyle once again, and though right now, Magneto and his cause might have seemed the way, what if down the road, one of the homo sapien groups offered him an all too tempting deal?

"You make me nervous Primer...or should I say, your reasons make me nervous," Erik said as his smile faded entirely now, "You work for whichever side best meets your own personal needs," he said boldly, not caring if Primer took offense or not, for the letter opener on the old man's desk would find itself in Primer's chest if Magneto so much as even began to start feeling odd or questioning himself. "However," he said after the slight pause, "I find it more dangerous to turn you away, after all, you know where to find me and my Brotherhood and we both know full well just how quickly you could bring us all here to our knees if you so wished," he admitted, albeit stubbornly, after all, Magneto was no fool and he knew the power which pheromones played in the biological world, "So I guess I have no option but to welcome you to the Brotherhood," he said with a faux smile from behind blue eyes.

[Primer]

"You make me nervous Primer...or should I say, your reasons make me nervous. You work for whichever side best meets your own personal needs. However, I find it more dangerous to turn you away, after all, you know where to find me and my Brotherhood and we both know full well just how quickly you could bring us all here to our knees if you so wished,"

“I make you nervous? You find me mercenary no doubt.” Primer says, a smile playing on his features “I don’t blame you at all. But,” he leans forward now and locks eyes with Magneto, steeling himself deliberately not to flinch under the strength of the other man’s gaze, “You will soon see that I am not exactly mercenary. I am a businessman, which is a shade of difference but an important one. Once I have made a contract, written or no, I keep it. And I’m more than a shade better than an idealist for your purposes- I don’t flinch at the immoral, I have no designs on your position, and I’m pragmatic rather than full of foolish emotion. As long as you keep up your end of our little deal- and I see this as continuing to work towards bringing about the inevitable end of mutant supremacy more quickly while offering me a place to stay and work to occupy me- I will consider myself solely contracted to you. Termination of the agreement will be conducted honorably.” another dry smile forms on his features, “I despise a mess in all aspects of my life.”

"So I guess I have no option but to welcome you to the Brotherhood,"

Primer rises to his feet at this, nodding gravely. “You won’t regret this decision.” he says graciously ignoring Magneto’s almost-admission that he was forced into taking Primer for fear of his power. “I’m sure in our line of business it won’t take me long to find an opportunity to prove myself.”

[Magneto]

Magneto admired Primer more and more as he was in contact with him. The mutant not only possessed a great ability but he was also someone with whom Erik felt he could almost see as being on his level. Erik was a genius on many different levels and as such, came the usual arrogant attitude and ego, something else that Primer shared with the old man. Not many members within the Brotherhood could offer a challenge for Magneto's mental or mutant abilities, but with Primer, Erik saw a challenge, not like the one he saw with Mystique, but a challenge none the less and that was something that the old man hadn't had in a long time. Charles Xavier was the only real friend that Erik ever had in his life, the only other mutant out there that was his equal....an equal that shared many hardships and now that that friend was gone....who was really left to share himself with?

"You've impressed me somewhat Primer....I hope for your sake that you keep the good impressions up," Magneto said with a triumphant smile, his complex and genius level mind already working on some sort of twisted and topsy turvy plan to utilize his new found puppet. The old man relaxed more in his chair, that creepy and manipulative smile on his face, you know the one he always gets when he finds something of great interest. "I have a spot open for someone to take over the Acolytes.......and loyalty is greatly rewarded around here," he said with a nod of his head, the metal door which led out into the hallway opening up slowly, showing this meeting was over.