2013.10.01 - A Change in Current

Gone are the expensive clothes. Match is dressed in his so-called 'heroic' get-up. His heavy red gloves with the wif cuffs are worn. He wears Reeboks instead of Gucci. He has jeans and a red hoodie on instead of expensive, sylish clothes. He agreed to the location, knowing it was middle of no where that Emma sent him. It's after school, and the young man hovers there in the sky patiently, his eyes closed as he listens. The hood of his hoodie down, his blonde hair being flicked about by the wind. A blue leather domino mask encircles his eyes...a mask Emma gave him.
After a about ten minutes or so of waiting, Namor slowly rises out of the ocean as if he was a Greek god out of one of the movies or something. He is dressed in the same green scaled briefs and gold belt as he was last time. The water of the ocean has matted down his hair slightly and it all drips off his muscle as he completely surfaces.
He then just stands on the surface of the water and looks at Match, "I was informed by Emma Frost that you wished to speak to me in private. I wish to know why?"
A slight smirk on the face, but when Leo's eyes slowly open, they reveal an alert young man. "Of course, otherwise, that's the point of speaking with you?" There is a slight shrug, but there is something thoughtful about his expression, as if he is running information through his head at a high rate. "But first, I admit I have some questions. Questions that only you are able to answer." There is a slight pause, before he asks, "Why?" That's a big whooping question, why for what?
that's the point = what's the point
Namor smirked at the young lad, "Aye, why? A good question that means all questions at once."
He then rose of the water, his wings now flapping on his ankles as he hovered at eye level with Leo, "There are many reasons why, the easiest is, 'because.' But I suspect that is not the answer you are looking for."
"You are right. What drives you forward Namor? Why play the part of a villain, when you obviously aren't one?" Match's smirk is gone and he looks so very serious. "Why are you holding yourself back when you are destined for so much more?" His eyes search Namor's sharp face, as if searching for something paramount in them.
"Who is the hero and who is the villain is a construct of morality and of history," Namor said with a sternness that reflected his experience, "Am I the villain for destroy u-boat after u-boat in defense of my people? If Hitler had won, yes I would be. Am I a villain for destroying those who would pollute my home. Well, like I said, the heroes are written by the historians. I suspect, that history will remember me very calmly."
"What drives me forward is the fate of my people and the destruction of any who would cause them harm," Namor's stern look never changed, "And my destiny is for me to explore, not to be dictated to me by anyone."
And the young man smiles. The expression is bright and full of life, not an expression Namor has seen on him before. That smile, quickly becomes a grin, flashing white, perfect teeth. "Good. Now, how would you like to write history Namor? To control its path, and direct it toward a brighter tomorrow for your people, and for the entire world really?" The offer sounds almost dark, but the way Match's tone is with that big grin makes it sound like some grand adventure!
Namor lowered his head slightly as he considered what Match had just said to him. He stood there in stark contemplation for a moment more and looked at Match again, "It is as I said, lad. I make my own destiny and mine alone. To write history is to be a passive observer of it. To make history. That is a much grander thing. And that I do myself, because of who I am and what I do."
"Aye, I was born for great things. And aye, I have achieved much. But I did it on my own. No man controlled my destiny.
Match's grin fades. "You said yourself, they are two seperate things, what happens in reality, and how history is written. To achieve goals, you need to not only live by example, but you need to control the laws of tomorrow. You have lived by example, but others have controlled how history was written. It doesn't make it right however. I'm not offering to control your destiny, I'm asking for your partnership in opening a new route for all of humanity. Regular humans, mutants, meta-humans, Altantians...-everyone-. I'm not saying I have all the answers, or we won't have some bumps along the way...but I know to succeed, I can't do this alone. I need people I can trust at my side. People I can depend on to uphold their part of the bargain, and that I know can carry their own weight. People I can respect."
Match looks very serious. "I'm not saying this to be big for my breeches, or to appear bad ass. I'm saying this because I feel passionately about it. The world needs to change, and if we just let it chaotically go on its merry way, it is going to explode, nastily. I have big plans, and I'm working to obtain the tools to make them a reality. But those plans right now are still just a Dream, something that needs to fully form and develop into maturity. It's something that needs guideance."
Match shrugs slightly, "But I know I'm damn well smart enough to choose who to be guided by, or influenced by. I choose you." That last part is stated bluntly. Without over confidence, or cockiness. It's just stated matter-of-factly. "But in the end, just because I choose you, doesn't mean I automatically 'win'." His eyes darken at that. "Sometimes, when you reach for something, you find out it's no longer there. An illusion to drive you mad, or perhaps mock you with something you can never have," a bit of a bitter smirk there, but it fades. "So, I'm here to ask, not to take, not to demand. I know if I reach, I'm going to come up empty. So...," Match then shrugs awkwardly, finally glances away self-consciously.
"So, ya. Something like that." Match shifts his weight in the air, though he isn't standing on anything.
"You talk like a politician," Namor said very bluntly, a frown on his face as he said it. There was definitely some residual anger there over the way things went with Invaders, the All-Winners Squad and the Justice Society. All three superhero groups that Namor had at one point been a member of. All there made by politicians. And all three discarded just as quickly when they were 'no longer needed.'
"I see little reason to 'make the world a better place' for you on the surface. That's what the Avengers, the Justice League, the Fantastic Four, Young Allies and all the other nonsense you Dry have suddenly have become obsessed over," Namor said with a note in anger in his voice. He very rarely admitted it, but he felt like he lived in a world that had past him by as he lived as a homeless amnesiac, "You claim to respect me, you even claim to understand me. But you are not proving those statements to me. I've been abandoned by my friends on the surface, they care little about me or my people. And my people... they are ruled by a boy who would rather mewl about with your United Nations rather than secure a future for his people."
"You talk a good front, aye, for certain," Namor continued, his fists clenching as he crossed his arms across his chest, "But you a boy. You have not tasted real combat or even seen the world change. You are the type of warrior the surface world now creates, peacetime warriors who believe their strength comes from their civility and their compassion. Never tested. Never challenged. Always weak."
"They are doing it -wrong-," Match says. "The world a better place doesn't just include normal humans, or just surface dwellers. It's a way bigger project than that, and they are really narrow minded about 'right verse wrong'." He winces at Namor's words. "I'm not -them-. I'm different." He looks straight into Namor's eyes. "And...how can I prove myself to you? Just let us kick the shit out of each other till one of us gives? Cause to be honest, we both have the capability of kill each other, it's just who willingly crosses over that line -first- would be the question." He is very, very quiet, thoughtful and distant.
This isn't the same young man that Namor faced and fought before. Something...changed. "I want to get to know you more Namor, but you have to give me that chance. I'm a quick learner. I won't let you down." He then looks straight at Namor once more, "A secret...one that could destory everything, one Emma can -never- know. I will entrust it to you in a show of good faith, because I -believe- in you. I believe if I treat you with loyalty and equality, I will gain the same. If I betray you, you will show me your wrath, and I will arm you to be able to. Will this permit you to give me the benefit of the doubt?"
Namor quirked an eyebrow at Match. So it was true, the boy was very much the way Namor was when he was a child. Brash and headstrong, convinced he knew the best way. But he didn't have everything Namor had back then. The passion was there, the follow through was what Namor found more than a bit lacking. "I will make this clear to you and then we can proceed. There is no line. In battle, in war, there are no lines. You kill your enemy because he is your enemy. To suggest that I have any sort of issue killing, that is applying your own moralities to mine. And it's not something I care for."
It was obvious that Namor was a very different type of hero than those who stood next to him as the "Living Legends" of World War 2. Those who were still around to day seemed to play by a code of no killing. Namor seemed to not have this same issue, "I am the man who tried to drown Metropolis and would have even killed my old friend Captain America if it was required of me. Atlantis comes first. My loyalty is to best interests of my people only. And I will kill for my people."
He was a war hardened warrior who had never softened after the end of the war. In fact, the recent events of his life had only hardened him more.
Still, he looked at Leo and considered for a moment and considered. It was a long pause before he said, "Fine then, share this unknowable secret. If I find it to be worth my time. We can speak further."
"Killing senselessly is stupid. What is an enemy now, could become an ally down the road, or even a tool to be used. I'm not a soldier, and I'm not claiming to be." Leo looks at Namor, "Hurting Metropolis would have put the Altantians in more danger in the long-run. There are better was to secure your people's future Namor, without millions of meaningless deaths. This I believe. And I'm looking for the best for the world, not just the surface dwellers. I wouldn't ask if I didn't think this wouldn't also help benefit your people. You are a King after all."
Leo then shrugs. He is silent. The secret isn't easy for him to speak of, and he puts it off skillfully enough. But when the silence stresses, it is heavy as he ran out of skill one may say to postpone. He bites his lower lip. When he finally speaks, he says, "I'm only six months old." He isn't just a kid, it's a -CHILD-. He looks at Namor so seriously. "I've only been awake for six months, and sleeping before that for only a few weeks. Everything is -new- to me Namor, literally. I learn at a rapid rate, but I know I need real world experience. I never denied it, it would be insanely -stupid- to, when I'm not even a year old yet." Wariness is reflected in his eyes. This is a deep secret to him...and dangerous for his Father as well.
are better was = are better ways
There was a mild scoff from Namor. Nothing to harsh but a definite taste of disgust in his voice when he said, "Clones."
In the nearly five decades Namor had been what some would call a 'super-hero' he had more than his fair share of battles to either destroy clones or prevent them from being completed. It was not a subject he took lightly, "So you're not even a real boy. Just a laboratory experiment. Some mad genius cooked you up in a lab as a perversion of true life."
Namor then smirked for a second, the first time his demeanor had actually softened since this conversation had began, "Then I now get why you are so desperate to prove yourself as something more than your parts."
And that is when Leo moves. He moves to punch Namor, violently! He isn't holding back his strength either. "I am my Father's son!" His eyes glowing red for those few moments. If Namor wanted to see blind passion in that boy, he said the right things. Because Leo looks about to kill Namor.
Namor moved quickly. The blind rage of Match version the tactical mind of the Atlantean Prince with over a half century of experience in the arts of battle. He deflected Match's arm with one of his palms, noting that the boy was as strong as him. As the deflected arm moved away, the Sub-Mariner grabbed it, twisted behind Match's back and held it in a joint lock. His next move was pull on Match's hair and yank his head straight back so that any sort of energy that might becoming from those eyes had no chance to hit Namor.
So there they were, Namor holding Match's arm twisted behind his back and holding him by his head. Namor spat out his words in anger," Loyalty to your parents is admirable. But learn to control your rage or -I- will control it for you!"
That is when Namor can feel it, powerful vibrations going through Match and into Namor. "Let go...," the threat obvious. He's struggling to control the rage, but he's still tetering on an end. "And the loyalty is equal! I am his -SON-, not some damn blank slated clone." He has his own difficulities with that, but he isn't a perfect clone...he's an intermixed clone of two individuals, which essentially is what happens when a child his born from two individuals...there are just two of him with only a few minute diferrences...Superboy.
end = edge
Namor recognized the vibrations from the last time they fought and thus wrenched Match's caught arm, to emphasis that he is in control of this situation right now, and if he had to break the arm he would, "You are your father's son am sure. Just as I am my mother's son. But you asked to meet with me, to change the world as you put it. You are proving to me one thing, and only one thing"
He was still angry but much more in control than his normally legendary rage would leave him, "That you are a brash, arrogant child. Whose own hubris threatens to destroy him. Now calm down and act like a man before I treat you like a whelp."
Leo draws in a sharp breath when his arm is yanked, the anger still there. But he's controling it. He's still angry and hurt, but the vibrations are minor right now...but they don't stop...they react to his state of mind. His teeth grind. He doesn't say anything at all. He wants to break something, to scream, to cry...anything to release what is inside him right now...so he says and does nothing to supress it.
Namor took a chance and let him go pushing him away as he did so, "The first thing you need to learn from me, if you indeed meant what you said earlier. Is that if you look for insults in what people say, you will find them quickly enough."
A smirk crossed his lips again, "Granted I'm not the best at living by that advice but I have learned to at least hold it in a bit."
Namor stood in mid-air at a combat ready position, he wasn't convinced that the boy had learned his lesson yet so he would be ready for him if he came again. Confident that if he continued to attack from a place of pure rage, Namor would have the advantage.
Leo doesn't turn to look back at Namor, just rubbing his arm to get the circulation back in there like it should be, letting his healing take effect to remove the sting from it. He doesn't say anything still. After all, he wasn't really asked anything to respond to.
"Better." Namor said matter-of-factly at Match's behavior.
"You shared a deep secret with me today and I will honor that fact. Now. I will... apologize for your perceived insult upon your heritage," Namor said, to be honest he remembered how often he'd fly into a rage about his father. Though it was for the reverse reasons. When Namor was a little boy he was embarrassed by the fact that he had a human father. The children would taunt him about it endlessly.
He returned to his more stoic stance, crossing his arms across his chest once again, "So tell me, if you are a clone and you have only lived months. What makes you think you understand things better than those who have lived decades, sometimes even centuries longer than you have?"
"I'm not some simple 'clone'. I come from two 'parents'. I was just artificially grown and birthed," Match says, but he never mentions his 'mother' or the other DNA donor. "And I still experienced years of education, the finest during that growth period. I was not 'birthed' into the world uneducated. And if you had asked me six months ago, I wouldn't have known what to feel or do. I listen, I observe, I learn, I grow. What often takes months to years of development for others, I must process and absorb in hours or days to keep up, let alone excel. Already I have found my 'key', my reason for moving forward no matter what."
Match finally turns to look over his shoulders, the red gone from his eyes though they are slightly narrowed. "And I know what I'm willing to sacrifice to move forward. This is information I did not have when we first met, even just earlier this week. You will help me, or you will not. You will give me a chance as I have given you, or you will not. To convince you will take time, and not all of my plans will be visible at first, and they may change with new information and observations. You must be willing to give me faith."
Match then looks away again, staring at the expanse of the ocean. "I need further training in hand-to-hand, and I need your life's experiences. But for you to move forward Namor, you need the faith of humanity in you again to restore your power and influence; otherwise, you will remain at the fringes, struggling one against many."
Match is quiet for a moment before he adds, "I am not like others you have known. I learn from what I experience. If you want trust and loyalty, you treat me in kind. By doing so, I will respond in kind. Logically, I know about betrayal, I know about backstabbing, assassination for power, lying to people's faces....but emotionally, I have experienced and done none of these things. What you give, is what you get with me. This is not something you can dream to have with anyone else in the world Namor, because I am unique." There is Superboy, but damn Superboy...Match is better, more educated, more loved...they are different. Superboy is a mere flawed specimen, a failed project. Match is a -son-.
Match looks back at Namor once more, turning his body this time to do so. "That is why you can believe in me; that you can work with me toward my Dream. I have a fresh perspective that no one else has - a very unique one. And Earth is important to me, every Earthling. Not because I am an idealist, but because I honestly have no favoritism other than 'Earthlings'."
Namor quirked an eyebrow at all that Leo was saying. It, to Namor's detriment reminded him of a similarly worded plea for help from a single man, over seventy years ago. A man that came to be the truest friend Namor had ever had. A friend, that to this day Namor doesn't think does anything without the best interests of everyone in mind. That man had blonde hair too. And he was a young man when they first met as well. And he had barely know what it was to be a warrior or a soldier.
And together, Namor and that man changed the course of the world.
Namor looked at Match a bit longer. There was so much he didn't know about him, to Namor he was just a student of his occasional conquest, Emma Frost. A woman he first met by kidnapping her. Could he trust this? Why did he want to trust this. A thought hit his head.
"Answer me this truthfully and I believe I can trust you, teach you and help you. Who is your father?"
A blink from Match, and he answers without hesistation, not seeming to mind at all, "Lex Luthor of course." There is pride in his tone. "I'm his son, Leopold Alexander Luthor. I go by Leo," he explains. His head tilts slightly, curiously, as if he wasn't sure why Namor asked that, or what purpose it served. His Father's identity has importance to him, but he isn't sure what importance it holds to Namor.
Namor eyes looked up slightly, he was looking for any reference to Lex Luthor in his mind. He was after all a man who was not totally integrated into the world of the surface dweller. All he had to go by was the little that She-Hulk and Emma Frost had told him, and his forty years as an amnesiac hobo.
A frown crossed his face for a moment but he said nothing at first. Instead he looked at Leo and said, "I am Namor, the Avenging Son of Atlantis. Son of Leonard McKenzie and Fen-Kor"
He held his hand out to Leo, "I'll teach you, I'll train you. I will show you things that you didn't even know existed. I will bring you into the larger world that you have only started to touch on."
Namor chuckled for a moment, "Depending on how long you can hold your breath I can show you things no other surface dweller has scene in about forty years."
Leo's face brightens, but not like it did when he first came. It is more subdued now. But he reaches out to shake Namor's hand. "A while," he says in reference to holding his breath. "I haven't timed it yet, likely something I should do. I'd really like to see what's down below," he admits, the promise of adventure and sight-seeing actually of interest to him.
But after the firm handshake, Leo starts to further explain himself, "I am working with my Father to create a new superhero team. One, that I plan for most, if not all members to be registered with their real name. Emma cannot know about this obviously, she will freak," rolling his eyes at that. "I will convince her of the wiseness of it, but I need all the preparations in place first before I can gain her full confidence." Apparently him and Emma are talking again. "In the meantime, the team is to act as a example of how heroes -should- be, of what they -should be doing. It will have long-term ramifications on the superhero laws, as well as on the culture of the U.S. and even the world. I also plan to achieve a number of objectives with it other than just that. I want to being a movement of something more than awareness, one that actually gets results in healing the world environmentally and socially. Common sense says no everyone is going to get along and play nice, but there need to be laws fully implicated to protect differences. So much of the Altantian culture has been ruined and destroyed, it isn't right. And now the split between humans and mutants or meta-humans is getting worse with the actions of Magneto whom I am also figuring out how to deal with." Magneto has his uses, but he is a dangerous foe.
Please 뺋 for some others before you repeat your vote for him.
Namor looked at Leo for a moment and said, "I'm not agreeing to any team being put together by Lex Luthor. I'm agreeing to work with you. And only you."
He let go of Leo's hand after a strong shake and said, "I have had my fill of so-called super-hero teams. I was part of the Invaders. Harry Truman shut us off after Captain America disappeared. The Justice Society, Dwight Eisenhower asked us to resign. The All Winners Squad, Gerald Ford gave us the Presidential Medal of Honor and then disbanded us."
"If you need me to help, I will help... you. But the goal is to teach you and for you to learn the ways of war and the ways of combat and to learn how to not fly off the handle the moment you are insulted."
Namor took a stern stance and told Leo very directly, "I will help the man who stands before me. I will help Leo Luthor and always be there when he needs me. But I will not be part of a super-hero team again."
"It's my team Namor. And I want you to consider it, you don't have to provide your answer right now. The purpose of the team is the important part, it isn't just some 'superhero team'. It is for larger a purpose. And by 'my team', I don't mean I'm the leader. Everyone would have their parts or role to play for the greater goals, but you won't be subservant to anyone. I'd just like you to think about it, and perhaps be open to hearing more later on. That's all." Match a.k.a. Leo isn't trying to pressure Namor...just get his mind whirling.
Leo then says, "We need to figure out a way to contact each other, other than through Emma. I like Emma, but that doesn't mean she needs to know about my plans or the going ons. Sometimes, a little mystery is good for her. I think she likes surprises anyway."
Namor turns his head away from Leo for a moment and he considereds a moment of trust. One he hasn't given anyone. Not even Emma Frost, "Lattitude: 32 13' Longitude: 51 51' Depth: 4500 fathoms"
Namor looked back at Leo and said, "My home is at those coordinates. It has an airlock, and it has a V/A frequency 375.5 Mhz."
"If you need me that is where you can find me. But much like your own secret, I want this told to noone, not even your father. I value my privacy."
"No, I understand." Leo then says, "Ya, don't even tell my Father you know mine." Talk about freak out-vill. His dad is known for overkill reactions. He has the most awesome dad ever! But ya...overkill reactions. But Leo is really trying not to smile anymore. He works to appear more regal and nods. "I'll catch you later then. I got to change and attend dinner with my Father right now. And...think about what I said." He grins, flashing straight white teeth. And then he is gone, the water seeming to part where he flies over it to create minor waves.
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