I9DT - Headmistress' Office

[Pete Wisdom]

"Well, I'm just going to call myself fortunate to show up when it's someone else who's getting the arse end of your attitude," he said, walking in and taking a seat. "And that woman's a cow. And like a dead fi- well, I'm not one to kiss and tell, so never you mind the rest of that sentence," he said, smirking.

[Samantha McManus]

"Now then, what can I do for you, Wisdom?"

[Pete Wisdom]

"I understand that you've had something of an... unpleasant run-in with the cryptically old and scary recently," he said.

[Samantha McManus]

"If by that you mean an ancient Egyptian bastard felt the need to sic the angel of death on me, I suppose so."

[Pete Wisdom]

"Aye. So what do you have on what the old git's up to?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Recruiting, by the look of things. I've had my people keep an ear to the ground regarding missing mutants, given how he's operated in the past."

[Pete Wisdom]

"What if I can do you one better than that?" Wisdom asked, smirking as he laced his fingers behind his head.

[Samantha McManus]

"Considering that if we take our eye off the ball on this one, we end up proper-fucked by Biblical plagues?"

"Let's say I'm listening."

[Pete Wisdom]

"Well, I don't know if you've been following the news lately, with all the rubbish that's been going on. Honestly, nothing would have normally caught our eyes, like food riots, or tensions breaking in power struggles all over the place."

"Until we managed to catch a glimpse of this. And we managed to track it and find it and ones like it making its way over all the other little outbreaks of trouble." Wisdom handed her a printout. The picture was grainy, but the... object in the air, whatever it was, was vaguely sphinxlike after the photo enhancements had been run on it. "You've met one of his little blighters, looks like we've got the bead on two of the others."

[Samantha McManus]

"Suppose it was wishful thinking that he'd waste any time in assembling his latest batch..."

[Pete Wisdom]

"Aye, apparently not. We've got tracking for these bloody things, but no clue about what he has the others up to."

"And as they're international, they're conveniently out of my bloody jurisdiction to do anything about."

[Samantha McManus]

"We've got X-Corporation offices near some of those sites, but it's going to be bloody hard to spare the manpower..."

[Pete Wisdom]

"Well, you're the bloody experts on him, luv. And let's not forget, the great big bugger announced himself to you. How likely do you think it's going to be that this all involves a bunch of blokes that you've never met before in your life."

[Samantha McManus]

"I'm only saying, the staff we've got in those areas are stretched bloody thin just on the humanitarian work we've got going on there. I can perhaps get some more feet on the ground, but if we're trying to avoid attention..." she let the question hang.

[Pete Wisdom]

"Luv, he's getting attention. Do you really think that it's going to hurt your bloody image to go in and take care of this mess? The fighting is going on in Africa now. The food riots are going on now. You think it's going to be long before he's taking the poor, hungry, and opportunistic and letting them fight it out to be his new army?"

[Samantha McManus]

"No, I was thinking that if Pete Bloody Wisdom is complaining things are out of his jurisdiction, perhaps he'd rather I be a little more discrete than flinging what amounts to a paramilitary organization at it, aye?"

[Pete Wisdom]

"Honestly I really don't give a toss. If they want MI-13's hands tied, then they can kiss my patriotic arse if they don't like that I make sure the information gets to someone who can do something about it. If you want to wave a bloody British flag from your plane while you soar off to take care of this rubbish, I'd give you a 'God save the Queen' and the finger to the pikers who don't want me sticking my nose outside the country. That is if they find out what we know and that I told you, which I bloody well doubt they will."

[Samantha McManus]

"Well then, the locals had best hope that there's a sufficiently sphinx-shaped spot of open ground for when we bring the bastard thing crashing down..."

[Pete Wisdom]

"Well, now, that I should probably be able to quietly arrange," Wisdom said. "And as always, let me know what else you need. Read into that what you will, luv."

[Samantha McManus]

"While all other support is appreciated, you remain ever not my type," she smirked.

[Pete Wisdom]

"Not for longer than a weekend in Madrid, at least," Wisdom answered, 'innocently'.

[Samantha McManus]

"Now now, there's no rest for the wicked, and I'd wager we both fall into that category."

[Pete Wisdom]

"Aye, of course that was all strictly business, I know the party line," Wisdom chuckled. "So... summon the hounds, hunt down the evil buggers, then? Keep me in the loop and I keep you in the loop?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Aye, that can definitely be arranged."