Heaven on Earth(open)

[Angel]

Warren leaned against the bar. His wings were safely hidden by the leather straps that wrapped around his body. He didn't have to do this much anymore but it was important to keep his identity on the down low tonight.

He smiled to a passing woman and brought his club soda to his lips. The X communicator was on his wrist, as was the Shi Ar' cloaking device. He'd used it but been forced to strap down the wings because he was going to be moving around the club and couldn't chance blowing his cover.

He was trying to investigate certain members of the Hellfire Club for Xavier. Word on the streets was that they were making some kind of move and his position as a legacy member of the club put him into a prime place to do just that. He crossed the dance floor and took his place at one of the reserved tables. A waitress brought him a fresh drink, this one bought for him. He glanced up to see that person approach the table.

[Mastermind]

The X-Man was here...

Ten years ago, the Angel was a pest to the Brotherhood of Mutants, ten years ago Jason Wyngarde was a scroungy mental illusionist who hadn't fully explored his powers. Wyngarde wasn't one to get caught. He was already between two teams.

The bar was high-class, and one where many a business deal could be found, or romance. Depending only on those who wanted one thing or another. Wyngarde had seen his old enemy, well, not really his enemy, more like his team's enemy.

He hoped he wasn't recognized, his pushed his glasses off, revealing currently brown eyes, he made his long white pony-tail disappear, and his clothes changed to a navy blue suit and red tie. It wasn't much, but enough to at least not be instantly recognized. Wyngarde walked over to a table, he was here on business, rumours were buzzing around, apparantly one of Senator Kelly's business partners was here, seeking to gain public opinion on mutants.

Kelly was supposedly running for President, and if enough were against mutants, he'd follow in Genosha's foot-steps, outlaw them and take away everything they'd worked for. Wyngarde wasn't about to keel over so he could lose the good life now. He would either make it look like Kelly was working with mutants, or kill Kelly's representative. With Angel here, the latter wasn't a good option.

[Angel]

Warren was here, finally seated at his table, waiting for a contact with information to join him. He had thought that there might be other X-Men present but he hadn't seen any of them yet. His plan was to use his status as a member of the Hellfire Club to learn something more. He was fairly confident that he could get something out of this. Though information on the Inner Circle had been difficult to gain. Especially for a winged man.

Fortunately, a very wealthy winged man.

Even his own grand-father had been a member of the Inner Circle but whatever secrets the first Warren Worthington held he had taken to his grave with him. Warren sighed. He lifted the sparkling beverage to his lips. He noticed a passing figure in a navy suit. He glanced up at the man and smiled, feeling that he must know him from somewhere.

He stood and placed a hand on the man's shoulder to stop him. Warren extended a hand not truly recognizing the man yet as he shook the man's hand, "I'm sorry. I know its rude to ask this but do I know you from somewhere?"

Worthington smiled, attempting charm when all else failed. He waited to see if the man was in fact someone nearly forgotten from his past. Maybe they had forged some type of business deal in the past. He still couldn't tell who the man was. It was unsual for him to do this, it was embarrassing, "I'm sorry. I am usually much better at remembering faces and names. And in putting them together."

He laughed, trying to ease the tension. He had a few minutes before his guest was expected. For all he knew this man could be that person. He had never seen him afterall, "May I buy you a drink. I have a few minutes before I expect anyone. Its the least I can do for nearly dislocating your shoulder a moment ago."

Of course he was exaggerating in an effort to be friendly and convince the man that he held no ill will. He motioned to the empty chair, waiting to see if the man would take up his offer to join him, even if only temporarily.

[Mastermind]

Wyngarde looked as he was approached by Worthington.
"I'm sorry. I know its rude to ask this but do I know you from somewhere?" Worthington said as he extended a hand.
"No," Came a short, curt reply, Wyngarde didn't need to remind Warren of anything. "I don't believe so. You're the millionaire boy, though, Worthington. I've read about you." Wyngarde nodded, shaking Warren's hand.
"I'm sorry. I am usually much better at remembering faces and names. And in putting them together."
"It's Leiber. Jack Leiber, I don't believe we've ever met." Mastermind said, "I'm a simple executive, and no, no connection to the Goodman, Leiber, Kurtzberg and Holliway law firm." Mastermind said, just in case it came up.
"May I buy you a drink. I have a few minutes before I expect anyone. Its the least I can do for nearly dislocating your shoulder a moment ago."
"Oh, no. Thank you, Mister Worthington, but really, I'm quite fine." Wyngarde quickly explained. He looked over his shoulder, Kelly's representative was here. Wyngarde needed to get away and discredit Kelly while he still had the chance.

[Angel]

Warren nodded as the man mentioned his name and then the name of a Law firm he did indeed know. The Firm he mentioned was where his own attorney hung his shingle. Warren was about to offer him another chance to partake of his hospitality but Jack beat him to it.

"Oh, no. Thank you, Mister Worthington, but really, I'm quite fine."

"Very well, Mister Leiber. I apologize for the misunderstanding. I think I see the rest of my party in any case. I hope you enjoy your evening." Warren offered with a warm smile and a friendly pat on the man's shoulder. Worthington approached Senator Kelly's man, though he knew him as Cecil Dunn. Worthington had no way to know that the man was setting him up for a very big fall.

As the popular saying went, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Pictures of Worthington in flight had been circulated in certain circles by his old 'friend' Cameron Hodge. A handful of those photographs had ended up in Kelly's office. From that day on, the high profile playboy had become a target. Behind the scenes countless secret maneuvers and machinations were now in place to bring the wealthy mutant to his knees grounding him permantly.

"Cecil! So good of you to come," Warren said with a smile as he greeted the man. Motioning to the table he had reserved, Worthington said, "I took the liberty of ordering something for us. I hope you don't mind."

((OOC: Figured since I was in the thread that I would pull Warren into your plot for Mastermind and maybe tie it into the upcoming WX Massacre idea as well. Hope thats cool.))

[Mastermind]

((Good way of fitting it in))
Wyngarde watched as Worthington joined Kelly's man. This would make things harder. Now, Wyngarde had to remove Worthington from the equation, and kill the mutant hater he was socializing with.

It would be hard, since it took concentration to keep illusions to one person. And time. It would also mean he'd have to come up with something to make Worthington leave, so he could either out Kelly's man as a "mutant", or kill him there and then. Wyngarde grasped onto a gun. Shooting Worthington would make it look like an assassination attempt on two men, but the Hellfire Club would be questioned.

Wyngarde moved to the shadows, hiding himself, he twitched his fingers, and made the bartender look like a young Angel, in full costume, he concentrated, and made certain the sight would only be seen by Worthington. He wondered if it would be easier to make everyone look like the young Worthington, convince him he's sick maybe. Get him away, and then have Kelly's man killed by angry bar patrons. It sounded like a good plan. The only problem was, for such a thing to only affect Angel, and for it to be quick flashes for him, it would take up too much of Wyngarde's energy.

[Angel]

Warren took a sip of his club soda once the two were sitting down. Already wheels were turning. He smiled, trying to hide his nerves. He wondered if the man across from him would figure out that he was a mutant since he'd asked him here. True that the Hellfire Club was not necessarily considered a mutant organization. These days paranoia seemed to be building in both the human and mutant communities. It bothered Worthington understandably. Unlike many mutants, he had always somewhat comfortably straddled both worlds. He was welcomed by the X-Men and had a fan club of young women the size of Texas.

Speaking of which, the same woman who'd checked him out earlier walked up to the table and asked him for his autograph. It was strange to consider that he would be asked for one. It was a direct response to an article in People magazine. The issue had just hit the stands. He had been named the most eligible bachelor and one of the Fifty Most Beautiful People in the world. He thought it funny, actually that they had even talked about putting a set of wings on him for the photo shoot. He'd barely been able to talk them out of it. The fact that he's been shirtless, with only the leather Shi'Ar wristband as protection had been bad enough. He had liked the leather pants and boots, though he'd also been fearful that someone would discover his wings the entire time. He hadn't seen the issue yet, but his new publicist had told him that the shoot had gone well.

Across the table, the one known to him as Dunn looked up at his partner in crime and pretended to look annoyed. It didn't take much to aggravate Kelly's aide. She had come over too early. He sat back, waiting for Worthington's biggest fan to begin her part of the plan. She would fawn over him, somehow get him to expose the truth. If the pictures of him in People magazine didn't shake him up, nothing would. They had digitally added wings to his photos. Dunn had seen the surveillance photos of the man. The IT department had done a terrific job, even he couldn't tell that they were fake. This was just the first part of the scheme. He smiled as she asked for an autograph and almost grinned as Worthington leaned into her to sign one for her.

Warren leaned in to sign her autograph, putting down the words she had asked from him. Sometimes people made the strangest requests. Her hand came to rest on his shoulder and he tensed up. She hadn't touched the ridge of his wings beneath his clothes yet but she was very close to doing so. He nearly froze up, fear gripping him. He glanced up away from what he was doing. He blinked, looking down at his drink and wondering if it had been spiked with something. He blinked again. He'd seen the bartender before hadn't he?

The man looked just like he had five years ago. No...wait...it was him. He was wearing an X-Man uniform just like Angel's old costume. Warren looked from both of the humans at his table and around him to see if anyone else could see it. No one else seemed have noticed yet. He quickly finished writing out the autograph and handed it back to the young woman just as two things conspired against him.

Her hand came to rest on the top of his right wing. She looked at him with a very well done expression of puzzlement.

The second potentially dangerous event was the tray of food now leaving the kitchen for his table. Coming out of the kitchen, the server asked his boss, "So this goes to Worthington's table?"

"Yes, make it quick."

The beverage glass containing Kelly's aides drink passed in front of Mastermind and stopped as the two employees spoke. It would be so easy to add a little something to it, something much less obvious than a gun but just as deadly. And worse, something that could be blamed on Worthington. After all, if Warren could be made to see his wings, everyone else could too.

[Mastermind]

Wyngarde looked as the drink came near him. He wished now he'd brought poison. He should have prepared. He didn't. He just wanted to make sure Kelly knew the Brotherhood was coming for him. That was it. That's all he wanted.

Wyngarde stuck to his shadows, shifting his appearance, he'd need a new one, and he'd need a way to make sure Angel disappeared. Senator Kelly's man, Dunn was an annoying man, and a member of the Friends of Humanity...

Kelly was a member of the Hellfire Club, any link to him could be traced back, but with Worthington in the same room, the Club became under investigation, or at least involved in one, and they had too many secrets to keep.

Wyngarde's appearance now looked like the Wyngarde of the Hellfire Club, in more modern clothes. His thick whiskers and long-ish brown hair made him unmistakable. He approached Worthington's table. "My, my, if it isn't Mister Worthington the Third, pleasure to see you again dear boy, and Mister, uh, Dune was it?" Wyngarde smirked. His target had met Wyngarde at the last Hellfire Club Christmas Party, they were hardly friendly towards each other.

"What a nice surprise, I had no idea two such fine gentlemen as yourselves came to this lovely place." Wyngarde said, quickly checking for evidence of Dunn's affiliation with the Friends of Humanity. "Mister Worthington, Warren old chap, you look like you've lost weight." Wyngarde smiled, obviously trying to distract the two men, and anyone near their table, while the room slowly appeared to be getting darker.

"You do realize, Warren, old boy, we haven't seen each other in ages. How's the business life these days? Or that school you used to go to?" Wyngarde said, trying to make Warren lose his cool, and maybe leave the room to report Wyngarde to his psychic boss, that would let Wyngarde work his magic.

[Angel]

"My, my, if it isn't Mister Worthington the Third, pleasure to see you again dear boy, and Mister, uh, Dune was it?"

"His name is Dunn. Do you know him, Mister Wyngarde?" Warren asked as he looked up from his seated position. He had never really liked the man, though he couldn't be sure just why. Maybe it was the fact that Mastermind had been behind Jean's transformation into the Dark Phoenix. Warren could still remember that loss as if it was yesterday. It wasn't his usual demeanor to be rude but he was tempted to be with this man.


"What a nice surprise, I had no idea two such fine gentlemen as yourselves came to this lovely place."

"Is that right?" Worthington was getting annoyed. He looked into his glass, counting the droplets of water running down the glass. He sighed and lifted the glass to his lips. His blue eyes flashed on Dunn in apology as he waited for Wyngarde to wrap it up. He thought for a moment, trying to relax himself. He suddenly remembered that Wyngarde was a member of the Hellfire Club like himself.

"Mister Worthington, Warren old chap, you look like you've lost weight." Wyngarde smiled, obviously trying to distract the two men, and anyone near their table, while the room slowly appeared to be getting darker.

Warren didn't notice it getting darker, he only noticed the smirk on the other man's face. He had been working out more intensely lately. He had not lost weight, if anything he had gained it. Still, he was vain and the comment stung slightly. He half-smiled in reaction, "Excuse me, please. I need to make a phone call."

"You do realize, Warren, old boy, we haven't seen each other in ages. How's the business life these days? Or that school you used to go to?"

"I'll be right back. We can catch up then," Warren said with a smile. He moved to the area blocked off from the rest of the room that lead to the restrooms. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed, Xavier back at the mansion.