Back to Madripoor! Here's last time.
Our heroes are sitting in the office of Aldrich Killian, now also known as the Power Broker, apparently. The smarm is thick.
Killian asks what the characters are looking for; they come bearing information about Wanda Maximoff (namely that she's alive). Maria, speaking for the group, is cagey, and Killian is happy to keep talking. He says that Dreykov, the former head of the Red Room, brainwashed Wanda and forced her to kill her own brother. This did not end well for him; she kind of snapped and destroyed his flying fortress (with him in it!) and it crashed somewhere in the wilds of Siberia, apparently killing Wanda, though now Killian is learning that isn't the case. Maria notes that Wanda seems to be infiltrating whatever she comes across, mind-controlling superpowered individuals. She's not sure what Wanda's endgame is, but Magnus is of the opinion that if left unchecked, Wanda could very well destroy this world.
As they're talking, Magnus notices a slight scent of raspberry from a little air freshener kind of thing. It's starting to give him a headache.
They keep talking. Killian asks what they're looking for, Maria says maybe some papers ("that's easy, you can get that on the streets") but also some help finding Wanda. Killian says he's happy to help with that, and turn his considerable tech towards finding her. Maria opens the floor for barter, and Killian's initial ask is blood and tissue samples from Spider-Man and some demonstration of magic from Magnus. Killian hits a button on a remote and shows footage from cell phones and security cameras of the heroes' exploits in Malibu - they got from New York to California in minutes, and that's tech Killian would love.
Spidey is not, of course, interested in providing such an invasive favor, and Killian says it's fine, make a counteroffer! He notes that he could even the playing field for Maria - after all, the other three people she's running with clearly have some superpowers, and he could arrange that for her. He's got access to super-soldier serum (which Maria is hesitant about), but also...he holds up a hand and his fingers glow white-hot. "All kinds of options," he says.
At this point, Magnus notices him idly start an executive desk toy clacking away, and the other three watch it, their eyes moving rhythmically back and forth.
Magnus looks at Killian and gives him one chance to free the others before things get messy. Killian just cracks that slimy smile he has, and the intercom in the room flips on. Magnus wastes no time - he pulls a gun out of his hat and blasts Killian in the face, knocking him back into the wall.
The other three - Bucky, Spidey, and Maria, stand up, and a voice from the intercom says something in Russian. They reply in Russian as well ("ready to comply"), and the voice, a woman's, tells them to incapacitate the magician. Spider-Man shoots a bunch of webs at Magnus, but Magnus backflips away. Bucky throws a punch, but Magnus blocks, and Maria grabs a fire extinguisher and blasts it at his face. He pulls a little ball with a face out of his hat, and it sucks up the foam and falls inert to the floor.
Killian stands up, his broken face knitting, his flesh starting to glow. His shirt and coat burn off, revealing washboard abs and black dragon tattoos on his chest.
(This is probably meant as an intimidation tactic, but Magnus is hard to scare.)
Magnus pulls a small, black hexagon from his hat and slaps it on his back, and it extends into Exosuit d12. At this point, a door opens and two toughs in black - but heat-glowing like Killian - enter the room. One goes low, one goes high, and they punch Magnus, damaging the suit (d10). A panel on the wall opens, holding Maria's gear, a couple of guns, and Bucky's arm. Bucky reattaches his arm, grabs a gun, and fires at Magnus, but can't get through the magic shields. Maria follows that cue and slides across the floor, trying to hit Magnus with her taser rod, but isn't able to get around the suit.
Spider-Man shoots more webs, trying to get Magnus' hat away, but the webs bank off the runic shield. Killian swings a fiery punch at him, and Magnus produces a glowy blue stone and freezes his hand (Killian shakes off the rime angrily). Magnus chortles and bats away a chair flung across the room by Bucky, and pulls an airhorn from his hat, hoping to break the mind control. He blasts it at Maria, and the mind control cracks a little.
The Extremis soldiers go in for another attempt to break the exosuit, but Magus soaks it up and laughs. "Is that really the bes-"
At this point, Bucky punches him in the head with his metal arm and knocks him into a wall. Magnus slumps, unconscious, and the voice on the intercom gives a cue. Bucky and Spidey collapse, and Maria does, too, figuring she'd better follow suit and bide her time.
Killian works his jaw and regrows a tooth, and the Extremis soldiers power down. A door slides open, and a woman in a black body suit with tight braids walks in.
She orders that Magnus be stripped of everything - clearly his power comes from his gear and she doesn't want to give him any options. She points to Bucky and Spidey in turn. "Him we sell. Him we study. Tissue, blood samples, everything. I want to know how his powers work." She points to Maria. "She probably knows things worth knowing. We squeeze her like sponge, then we get rid of her."
Killian nods and lets the others get to work. "Right, Melina."
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