Fated Hour, Part One

*Undisclosed location, May 12, 2007*

In his secret base, far from prying eyes, Magneto sat in his study, thinking quietly.

Everything was ready. The Brotherhood had been gathered here, as well as Sabretooth and Mystique. His device was fully operational, as was the base itself. And the space-rock chamber was ready to use, if it came to that.

'*It is time.*' Magneto thought. He stood up, and donned his PSI-shielded helmet; once he left the base, its shielding would no longer protect him, and his helm would be necessary. He then walked out of his study. '*First things first.*'

"Father?"

Stopping, Magneto turned to see Pietro there, in uniform.

"Are you going, now?" He asked. "Is it time?"

"Yes, Pietro." Magneto replied.

Pietro scowled. "So...you're going to recruit...*him*."

Magneto smiled paternally, and lightly ruffled his son's hair, so much like his own. "Try not to be too bitter, son." he said. "You may yet become friends."

"*Doubt* it."

Magneto sighed. Pietro could be as stubborn as he was.

"He is the one our people need, son." He said. With that, he walked off, to the open balcony. Summoning his powers, he levitated into the air, his dark cape billowing as he flew to the southeast.

He needed to make a little detour before meeting Superman.

*Hawaii*

As the bright sun gleamed over the crystal waters, 15-year-old Alex Masters swam out into the waves on his surfboard. Alex was fairly tall, with an athletic frame, his skin a rich tan from the Hawaiian sun, his mid-length hair bright blond, his eyes a bright green. He wore his usual blue-and-orange wetsuit, the one he always wore when he went surfing.

As he swam out, Alex spied a *sweet* wave forming. He swam into its wake, and stood up, letting its momentum give him the boost he needed...before he glided under its foamy cap, his board slicing the water, as he darted out before the wave crashed in on him.

'*Oh, yeah!*' Alex mentally crowed, as he started looking for another wave...but spied something *else*: a grey, triangular dorsal-fin, a symbol of terror for every surfer with any sense.

*Shark*.

The fin had been circling him, and then it ducked under the water; Alex knew what it was doing – going deep before it came right up under him. He looked down, and could faintly see the dark outline of the perfect ocean-predator, its cold, soulless eyes glinted, its deadly teeth glistening...

Suddenly, a blazing red light exploded from Alex's hands, slicing through the water, striking the shark, sending it packing. Alex saw the startled sea-creature swim to the surface a few feet away, before it swam off, looking for another victim.

Alex looked at his hands, still lightly glowing.

'*Whoa...how did I **do** that?*' He thought.

"Alex Masters."

Looking around, Alex saw a shadow above him. Looking up, he saw that it belonged to a flying figure...with a *cape*. "*S-Superman?!*" he stammered.

The figure chuckled.

"No, Alex, I am not Superman." He said, as he drew closer, out of the sun's glare, hovering right above the water, in front of him. Now Alex could get a good look; he was an older guy, in black-and-red armor, with a funny, dark-red, almost bucket-like helmet.

"Who...who're you?" Alex asked.

The guy smiled.

"I am Magneto." He replied. "And I am a mutant, like you."

'*A...mutant?*' Alex thought, looking at his hands, again.

"You are confused, which is to be expected; I, myself, was quite alarmed, when my powers first manifested." Magneto said. "But I can help you, Alex. I can help you learn to control your talents, and help protect you from those who would do you harm."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Alex said; this was getting too weird. "I think I can figure this out on my own."

"I see." Magneto replied. "Even if it meant reuniting with your brother?"

Alex froze.

"My...my brother's *dead*." He murmured.

"Oh, no, Alex; Scott is alive and well." Magneto said. "And now that you have used your powers, I am certain that he will seek you out." He started to float away. "I will ask you again when Scott finds you, to see if you've changed your mind." With that, he flew off, leaving the bewildered Alex behind.

*Xavier Institute*

Scott's car roared up the driveway to the Institute, sounding in as high spirits as its driver. Today had been the last day of school before Spring Break; one whole week off of classes.

Scott leapt out of his car, to the laughter of Jean, who'd driven home with him. "I've never seen you so happy, before!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, who wouldn't be happy to have a whole week off?" Scott laughed. Then, he headed into the Institute, as Jean headed to the back garden, where she'd planned to do some painting. Colossus, Gambit, Sunfire, Iceman, Bishop, Psylocke, Banshee, Archangel and Beast were in the Danger Room. The others had taken the bus to the beach, except Clark, who was out on patrol.

'*Scott, I need to see you immediately.*'

Surprised, Scott headed to Professor Xavier's office, heeding his mentor's summons.

"Is anything wrong, Professor?" He asked.

"Scott." The Professor said. "A few moments ago, Cerebro detected a new mutant signature."

"Okay." Scott said. "So, why not tell everyone else?"

"There's a reason you were asked to come here." He added.

"Scott...it's your *brother*."

Scott's eyes widened behind his shades.

"*Alex?*" He repeated. "Alex is *alive?!* *Where?!*"

"He's in Hawaii." The Professor said. "But I'm also detecting..."

Scott didn't wait for the rest, as he ran off, heading for the hangar bay.

Alex was alive. His little brother was *okay*.

Running into the Blackbird, Scott prepped for launch; in minutes, the Blackbird took off, heading for Hawaii.

It took *far* too long to reach Hawaii, as far as Scott was concerned. He landed the Blackbird in a secluded spot, and headed out, walking onto a sandy beach. He looked around, and spotted a young man walking onto the beach. He ran up to him. "Excuse me, but I'm looking for..."

But he stopped as he got a good look at him. "*Al...Alex?*" he whispered.

The young man looked wary. "How do you know my name?"

Scott simply removed his father's dog-tags from around his neck, and handed them to Alex.

Alex looked at them. "Hey...these are my *Dad's* old dog-tags! He gave them to my brother! How did *you*..." Then, he, too, stopped, looking at him, his eyes widening in recognition. "*Scott?*" he murmured.

Scott smiled, and nodded.

"*SCOTT!*"

Both brothers hugged, reunited after so many years. "You stupid little knucklehead..." Scott muttered, hugging his baby brother, "...do you know how worried I was about you?"

"*You?* I thought you were dead, you big doofus!" Alex replied.

"I thought *you* were dead!"

Both brothers laughed, their hug ending, as Alex gave back the tags. "First things, first." Alex chuckled, and he playfully punched Scott in the shoulder.

"*Hey!* What was that for?" Scott laughed.

"For all the times you kicked my butt!" Alex quipped.

"News flash, kid: I'm your *big brother*! It's practically my *job*!" Scott joked, causing them both to laugh again. "Alex, it's *great* to see you!" Scott added. "You wouldn't *believe* what's happened in the past few years!"

"I can't wait to hear it!" Alex exclaimed. "Man, Magneto was *right*!"

Scott froze.

"*What* did you say?" He asked.

"Magneto. He said that you'd come looking for me." Alex replied simply, confused.

"And I was right."

Scott's eyes narrowed as he saw the Master of Magnetism descend into view. His hand went to his glasses, ready to let Magneto have it...

"Easy, Scott." Magneto said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not here to fight you."

"Your tricks aren't going to work, Magneto." Scott growled. "Whatever you're up to, we'll *stop* you."

"Whoa, Scott, *chill*!" Alex cried.

"It's alright, Alex." Magneto said. "Scott is right; he has no reason to trust me." He looked at Scott, looking him right in the eye. "I only wish to talk, to give you my side of the story. Surely Charles wouldn't mind that, would he? He must trust your judgement enough to let you get *all* the facts."

He gestured, and a floating metal sphere, powered by magnetism, descended, opening to them. "I only wish to show you what I want to achieve, for *all* mutants like us, nothing more. After that, you may return home safely. I give you my word."

"And why should I believe you?" Scott asked.

Magneto chuckled. "Well, between your optic-rays and Alex's hand-blasts, you both have enough sheer force to send me packing!"

Alex looked at Scott. "You're a mutant, too?" he asked. "That's so awesome! Come on, Scott, we can just check him out, right?"

Scott didn't trust Magneto one bit, but Alex wanted to go, and he had to look after his brother. He glared at Magneto. "*No funny business.*" he said firmly. Magneto nodded, and Alex stepped into the sphere, followed by a cautious Scott. The sphere closed behind them, and lifted into the air, flying off.

Magneto smiled as the sphere left. With any luck, he could recruit Cyclops, as well; if not, he would still have Scott Summers, Charles' most devoted follower, out of the way. As the sphere glided out of sight, Magneto *reached* for the Blackbird with his power, sending it levitating back to Charles' Institute...letting him know *exactly* what had happened. As the Blackbird floated off, Magneto took out the modified transmitter he'd designed.

Time for the next phase of his plan.

*New York City*

A young woman shrieked in terror as she ran down an alley, a young punk, high on crystal meth, brandishing a knife, chased after her, cornering her in the alley, a predatory glint in his eye...

Suddenly, an unknown force, moving too fast to be seen, yanked him off his feet and into the air, a sonic boom echoing in its wake, leaving a very confused – but thankful – young woman behind.

Superman dropped the punk behind a street patrolman, darting off into the sky before anyone could see him. He watched as the officer found the punk, saw that he was high as a kite, and booked him.

"You know, I could've handled that, Big Blue."

Superman chuckled as he turned, finding Spider-Man leaning against a flagpole atop a nearby building, sipping a cup of coffee. "You were having a snack, Little Red." he quipped back, floating down.

Behind his mask, Spider-Man arched an eyebrow. "You're not trying to muscle in on my neck of the woods, are you?"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Superman laughed. "You know that I don't really stick to one specific 'turf'."

Spider-Man nodded. "Boy, what I wouldn't give to have just *half* your accumulated Air Miles." he joked. "So, step on any of Kingpin's toes, lately?"

Superman nodded. "A few." he replied. After learning Fisk's voice, it had been easy for him to zero in on his cell-phone calls with his hearing, learn about his crooked operations, to either stop them himself, or leak information as an anonymous police informant.

"Figured." Spider-Man said. "I'd heard through the grapevine that Kingpin was royally steamed, and since *I* didn't do anything recently, I figured it was you."

"More or less."

Spider-Man chuckled.

"*Nice*." He said. "I heard even *Daredevil* was curious about who's been sticking it to Fisk."

Superman shrugged. "I do what I can."

Suddenly, a high-intensity UHF sound cut the air, causing Superman to wince. Spider-Man was startled. "Whoa, you okay, Big Blue?"

"Someone's transmitting on UHF." Superman said, clutching his ears. "No words, just a sound..."

But then, the signal lowered in intensity...and words became audible.

"*Out of all the creatures that can hear this frequency, only **one** walks on two legs, and that's **you**, Superman.*"

Superman didn't know who this was, but he clearly knew about him.

"*I'm sure you're wondering who I am, by now. Surely you must have noticed electronic failures in all those airplanes you've caught, all those trains you've saved, all those accidents you've prevented? You **must** have noticed the electromagnetic interference causing them.*"

Superman's eyes widened. He knew who this was, who it *had* to be...

"*If you wish to prevent **more** disasters, Superman, I suggest that you follow this signal. For a being of your level of power, it should be child's play.*" Then, the voice-recording ended, leaving the signal active.

"Sorry, Spidey, but I've got to go." Superman said.

Spider-Man nodded. "Don't fly *too* high, bro." he said. Superman nodded, and flew off, tracking the signal to its source.

Superman tracked the signal to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean...where a single figure, holding an electronic device, floated high above the waters, suspended by magnetic levitation, clad in red-and-black armor, with a flowing black cape, and a thick helmet upon his head.

Superman came to a stop in front of him, arms folding. "Magneto, I presume."

Magneto nodded. "Ah, so Charles told you about me! I'm flattered!" he said, smiling. "And you are..?"

Superman's eyes narrowed.

"I think you *know* who I am, Magneto." He said sternly.

Magneto frowned. "*No*."

Superman arched an eyebrow.

"'No'?" He repeated.

"I only know what *Homo sapiens* calls you." Magneto said flatly. He smiled wryly. "Granted, it's a fitting name, but I want your *true* name, not what they call you...nor am I interested in hearing pseudonyms like 'Kalvin Elward.'"

Superman certainly wasn't going to tell Magneto his real name, not when he could go after his Ma if things went sour...so he did the next best thing. "I am Kal-El." he said.

Magneto seemed satisfied with that. He placed a hand upon Superman's shoulder. "Well met, Kal-El."

Superman's eyes narrowed.

"Is what you said true?" He asked. "Are you responsible for all those accidents?"

Magneto arched an eyebrow. "Would it matter if I was?"

Superman's eyes went wide in surprise.

"Would...it...*matter*?" He repeated, incredulous.

His eyes narrowed in pure, righteous fury.

"*Would it **MATTER**?!*"

In less than a fraction of a second, Superman grabbed Magneto's collar, lifting him up, a frightened expression on the Master of Magnetism's face. "Do you have any *idea* of how many people you could have *hurt*?!" Superman exploded. "How many *lives* you could have *broken*?! What if I *hadn't* been able to get there in time?! How can you even *try* to justify what you did?!" Then, he caught himself, and calmed down, letting Magneto go.

Magneto simply smiled.

"You care about them." He said.

"I care about *everyone*." Superman said.

Magneto nodded. "True compassion." he said approvingly. "That's good; that's *very* good."

"Flattery isn't going to buy me off, Magneto." Superman said firmly. His eyes narrowed. "You give me *one good reason* not to drag you to Guantanamo Bay Prison and throw you in a jail cell."

Magneto lightly chuckled. "I'll give you *three*." he parried. "*One*: you can't turn me in without revealing yourself, and you don't want to do that...although I can't understand why that would matter to one as powerful as you. *Two*: do you really expect a prison if *iron bars* to hold me?"

"And *Three*, the most important one: if you do, you'll never know why I called you here."

Superman frowned.

"All right." He said carefully.

"Your compassion is a worthy trait, Kal-El, but it is tragically misplaced." Magneto said. "*Homo sapiens*' time on this world is over; they've had a good run, and now it's time for them to step aside. *We* – mutants, *Homo superior* – are the future, not them. They no longer matter."

Superman's eyes narrowed.

"They matter to *me*." He countered. "There are *good* people in this world..."

"...and you wish to save them." Magneto said. "Morally, that's the right thing to do. You can save them from plane crashes; you can save them from train wrecks; and you can save them from all manner of natural disasters."

"But you can't save them from progress, Kal-El." Magneto finished. "And *we*, mutants, *are* progress."

"That doesn't give you the right to hurt them." Superman said. "Having power doesn't make you better; it's how you choose to *use* it."

Magneto smiled.

"Power *and* wisdom." He said. "We will have to discuss this later." he said. "For now, I wish to show you something." With that, he levitated away, and Superman flew after him.

Magneto led him out over the Mediterranean Sea, stopping over a large island...one which Superman didn't recognize; it wasn't on any maps. This island was pristine, pure, unspoiled, with lush forests and pure waters.

In short, it was a paradise.

"What do you think?" Magneto asked, gesturing to the island.

"It's...*beautiful*." Superman admitted.

Magneto smiled. "Yes, it is, isn't it?" he said. "It's called Genosha."

"I've...never seen it before." Superman said.

"That's because no-one – other than myself and my associate – have seen it before." Magneto replied. "My electromagnetic powers blind satellites to its existence, and my associate's magical abilities keep it cloaked to the naked eye."

This surprised Superman, though he concealed it well. "Why?"

"Because, Kal-El, this island is to be the future home of any mutant who wishes to dwell here, safe from persecution." Magneto said. "I am no fool, Kal-El; I know that, in time, mutants will be revealed to the public. One of humanity's remaining good qualities is curiosity; I am sure that you realize this. And when humans begin to persecute mutants...Genosha will be a safe haven: the first mutant nation."

He looked at Superman. "I understand your compassion for them, Kal-El." he said. "To be honest, I, myself, have occasional doubts about what must be done. I don't want to resort to drastic measures; *Homo superior* loves *all* living things." His tone turned sad. "But the truth is that humanity is a species of greedy, bigoted, selfish, apathetic creatures, and our moral duty is to replace them as soon as possible."

Superman frowned. "I'm not ready to give up on them, Magneto." he said. "Yes, there are evil people in this world, but there are also *good* people, here." '*Like Jonathan and Martha Kent.*' he thought, as well as all his friends' families. They had as much right to exist as mutants did.

"Yes, Kal-El...but the sad fact is that it is the *good* people who are in the minority." Magneto said. "People are a fickle bunch, Kal-El, easily swayed by a charismatic racist." His eyes narrowed, as he spoke to himself as well as to Superman, "And there are *far* too many racist bigots in this world; people in power, fearful of change, of the balance of power shifting against them, of losing what they have."

Superman's eyes narrowed. "So, you plan to gather mutants here, and rule them, turn them into your own army."

Magneto chuckled. "Oh, no, Kal-El." he replied. "The leadership of my people is meant for another."

Superman arched an eyebrow; he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like this.

"Who?" He asked.

He was right.

"*You!*" Magneto exclaimed.

"Me." Superman repeated flatly.

"The time has come to drop pretenses, Kal-El. I *know* that you are not of this planet."

Superman kept outwardly calm, though he was horrified. '*How could he know?*'

"I have studied the X-Gene for as long as Charles has; I *know* what it is capable of." Magneto said. "You are simply too powerful to be a mutant; you're *eons* ahead of us! And to have traveled here, your people must be more advanced than anything we have on this world! *You* are the only man capable of uniting the mutant race, of guiding my people! You have the power to protect them, the intelligence to guide them, and the compassion to care for them. You will teach them, and bring out all that is good in them, for their sake and for the planet's sake; Earth cannot sustain this way of life much longer! Only you can teach them what must be done! We *need* you, Kal-El!"

*You must never directly interfere in their natural development; that is forbidden by our highest laws.*

Jor-El's words came to him instantly, by pure reflex. This was *exactly* the kind of situation that his biological father had warned him about. Even though part of what Magneto had said was true, he couldn't do this; it wasn't right.

"I can't." Superman said.

Magneto's expression fell...and then became firm. "I have one more thing to show you." he said. "Please, follow me." With that, he levitated away, and Superman followed him...to an *asteroid floating above the ground*, far to the north, close to the North Pole; Superman was thankful that the Fortress of Solitude was invisible to satellites and radar, or else Magneto may have picked it up.

He didn't know how, but he *knew* he wasn't going to like this.

*Asteroid M*

Quicksilver and the rest of the Brotherhood, all in uniform, were waiting at the balcony where his father had departed from, with Mystique and Sabretooth; he was due back soon.

"So, Pietro," Toad asked, "what exactly is yer Dad bringin' back?"

Quicksilver scowled, but before he could answer, Sabretooth spoke up. "Hey, squirt, yer old man's back." he said, sniffing the air. He sniffed again...and *growled*. "*And he ain't alone.*"

Just then, Magneto appeared on the horizon, levitating towards Asteroid M...

...with Superman following him.

Quicksilver scowled, along with everyone else, as Superman touched down with Magneto. Sabretooth, however, growled, baring his teeth, which would've made anyone else wet themselves, but Superman remained calm.

"*Enough*, Creed!" Magneto yelled. To Superman, he added, " I apologize for this...'reception,' Kal-El."

'*Kal-El?!*' Quicksilver thought. **Man, just when I thought he couldn't** get' *a dumber name!*' He could only scowl as his father led Super-Dork deeper into the base.

"That little..." Quicksilver growled, "...he thinks he's so special; Mr. 'Man of Steel,' Mr. 'Save-the-Day'...what I wouldn't *give* to kick his butt!"

"Get in line, shrimp!" Sabretooth roared. "I *owe* that runt! The little bastard nearly knocked me into *orbit*! *You wait your **turn**!*"

Mystique just chuckled. "Boys, boys," she chuckled, "we *all* feel that way...so why don't we follow Magneto? If what I've overheard is true, Superman is in for a nasty *surprise*." With that, she walked after Magneto.

Everyone else followed her, as Quicksilver smiled to himself. He hoped she was right.

He'd *jump* at the chance to laugh in Superman's face.

Superman followed Magneto to an enclosed room, with lead walls, he noted, confused. "What is this place?" he asked.

"I call it Asteroid M, something of a training ground for the future protectors of our people." Magneto replied. "Here, the most powerful mutants of this generation will train, and fully evolve their powers; all that is missing is true leadership."

Superman shook his head. "*Forget* it."

Magneto sighed. "I see." he said, and then he changed the subject. "Tell me, Kal-El...what do you know of superconductors?"

"Under extremely low temperatures, certain materials lose all resistance to electrical current." Superman replied. "Under these conditions, these materials become super-conductive of electricity, and thus conduct extremely powerful magnetic fields, capable of...levitation..." Then, it hit him. "*That's* how this place is floating! It's a giant *superconductor*!"

Magneto smiled. "*Brilliant* deduction; I couldn't have put it better, myself." he said. "Yes, Kal-El, Asteroid M is a massive superconductor, cooled by the sub-zero temperatures of the North Pole. However, superconductors have one *more* property, something that hasn't been discovered, yet; they can amplify other magnetic fields...like *mine*. Asteroid M is capable of amplifying my powers over a *thousandfold*."

"And why do you need that much power?" Superman asked warily.

Magneto looked to Superman crossly. "I will ask you one more time, Kal-El; will you lead *Homo superior*? Will you be the leader that can save my people, from both themselves and from those who would destroy us."

"*No*." Superman said. "I will not impose my will upon others. I will protect both humans and mutants, and I will try to show them the right way...but if they are to change, they must do so on their own terms, not mine. I'm sorry, but you've wasted your time." He turned to go...

...and found the exit blocked by the Brotherhood, Mystique, and Sabretooth.

"You've been listening to Charles. If only *I* had found you first." Magneto said. "For the life of me, I will *never* understand why my old friend is trying to make a mortal...out of a *god*." He looked truly regretful. "I had hoped that I wouldn't have to do this..." He walked to one wall, and tapped a button, opening a panel...

...and a toxic-green light flooded the room.

'*Kryptonite!*'

Superman's mental alert came too late. The instant the deadly rays of the Kryptonite touched him, he collapsed onto the floor, going pale, his veins visible beneath his skin, every cell and fiber of his being feeling as if it was on *fire*. It was very difficult to hear what was being said.

It was only through sheer force of will that he hadn't blacked out.

Magneto could only look upon Kal-El with regret as he used his secret weapon. As expected, the space-rock rendered him powerless.

The others were shocked silent. "What the...*what just happened, here?*" Toad exclaimed. "How come we *all* didn't keel over from that funky rock?"

Magneto chuckled at Toad's exclamation. "It is simply because of the unique nature of the radiation from this stone, Mr. Tolansky."

"R-Radiation?!" Blob stammered. "Shouldn't we have lead pajamas or something?!"

"No, Mr. Dukes. This kind of radiation is only dangerous after *long*-term exposure; to those of this world, it is only harmful after *years* of exposure." Magneto said. He looked to Kal-El. "To those *not* of this world, however, even a *nano-second* of exposure is *toxic*."

Toad went pale. "'*Those...**not** of this world*'?!" he stammered. "Holy mother of...*he's a freakin' E.T.!*"

"Well, *duh*! Anyone stupid enough to play hero *has* to be from another planet!" Pietro said. Magneto frowned as his son sneered down at Kal-El. "Not so tough *now*, are you?" he mocked. "You're in for a *world* of hurt, Super-Dork!"

Sabretooth grinned savagely, cracking his knuckles. "Say your prayers, runt," he growled, "'cause I'm gonna..!"

"***YOU WILL DO NOTHING!***"

Magneto's roar took them all by surprise, as the Master of Magnetism shook with fury. "You – *none* of you – are to so much as *touch* a hair on his *head*!" he barked. "This man is the future of our people, and you *will* not *touch* him!"

Sabretooth growled. "Save us the 'destiny' babble, Lensherr! He said no! I *owe* this runt!"

"You will not *touch* him, Creed." Magneto growled, clenching his fist. "In this place, I can control the iron-rich hemoglobin in your blood...enough to give you the *worst cerebral hemorrhage* in medical *history*!" His eyes narrowed. "Can you recover from *that*?"

Sabretooth growled. He looked to Kal-El. "You lucked out, runt." he muttered.

"That goes for *all* of you!" Magneto ordered. Calming, he looked upon Kal-El. "We can't even *begin* to fathom the agony he's in, now..."

"*H-How?*"

Magneto was truly surprised at how Kal-El had just spoke. "Amazing...even under such agony, you're still lucid!" he remarked. "Your willpower is inspiring; a *true* Man of Steel!"

Kal-El's eyes narrowed, and he spoke slowly. "*How...did...you...know...about me?*"

Magneto smiled. "Irene Adler, appropriately named Destiny." he replied. "She has the ability to see the future; she prophesied your coming the very second you arrived on this planet, twenty years ago! She prophesied your destiny, as the leader of my people!" He looked to the others. "Leave us."

Slowly, the others left the room.

With regretful eyes, Magneto continued, "I am truly sorry to have to do this, Kal-El, but it seems to be the only way to snap you out of your fondness for *them*." He turned to go. "You will thank me for it, later."

"*Why?*"

Magneto paused. "'Why,' what?"

"*Why...need...more...power?*"

Magneto smiled. "You may have heard that meteors will be passing through this solar system, in the next day or so." he replied. "These meteors are quite unique: *they're filled with iron ore*."

Kal-El's eyes widened in horror. "*You're going to...pull the meteors towards Earth...*"

"Humanity will hear our roar." Magneto said. "The rain of fire will be a rallying cry for *Homo superior*, to flock to Genosha...in time for its new leader to accept his destiny." He smiled. "Even now, I am gathering the strongest mutants to act as protectors and peacekeepers; *Charles' X-Men*."

"*No...*"

"I thought you would prefer to work with your friends and peers, once they have seen the truth." Magneto commented. He turned to go.

"*I'll...stop you...*"

Magneto stopped, and turned to meet Kal-El's determined glare. "*I don't know how...but I'll **stop** you...*"

Magneto smiled paternally. "You, Kal-El, will *lead* us." he said. His eyes narrowed sternly. "*Because you won't be leaving this room until you do.*" With that, he left the room, locking it behind him, and walked away.

Kal-El had surpassed *all* his expectations. His power was *unimaginable*, his intelligence even *more* impressive, and his compassion, though misguided, was inspiring.

And such *conviction*!

'*He is a true leader, no doubt about it.*' Magneto thought with a smile. '*He will guide the mutant race, show our people the way...*

*'...and Heaven help any racist arrogant or stupid enough to try and hurt his people.*'

By then, he'd reached the control chamber, where the others, including his son, were waiting. "Kal-El will see the light soon." he declared with a smile.

Pietro scowled. "Terrific."

Magneto sighed to himself; he was going to have to have a talk with his son. "Begin the next phase." he instructed. "Let's invite Charles and his students for a visit."

Charles Xavier was in his office when he saw the Blackbird touch down in the front yard...

...*with no-one flying it.*

Charles frowned. He knew of only one mutant capable of doing this; it seemed that his old friend wanted to talk with him. Knowing Erik, if he wanted to talk to him, it could be either good news...

...or very *bad* news.

Either way, he had to find out.

Rolling his wheelchair out into the yard, Charles boarded the Blackbird. The very second he had, the plane took off, powered solely by magnetism, to an unknown destination.

Jean was just painting in the back yard, humming to herself. A few feet away, Ororo was tending her garden, generating a tiny rain cloud, watering her flowers.

Jean was getting worried; it had been quite a while since she'd heard from Scott...

Suddenly, two silver-metal spheres descended from the clouds towards them. One closed on Jean and snared her with numerous metal tendrils, scooping her inside before she could even cry out.

Ororo saw what had just happened, and flew towards her, but the second sphere intercepted her. Ororo summoned lightning, but the sphere shrugged it off, capturing her just as it had Jean.

Their task complete, the spheres flew away, heading north.

It had taken Logan a few hours to drive Elf, Half-Pint, Stripes, and Porcupine to the beach; how they'd convinced him to do so, he'd never know.

Wait, he *did* know; Half-Pint had turned her "Puppy-Dog" eyes on him.

"Let's go!" Kitty exclaimed, hopping out of the jeep, a pink t-shirt under her pink swimsuit.

Kurt leapt out, too, clad in red shorts and a green button-up t-shirt, his image-inducer switched off, carrying a surfboard. "Surf's up!"

Evan laughed, getting out, wearing black shorts and a white t-shirt. "Kurt, I'm *telling* you, you're not gonna catch any waves, here!"

Rogue sighed as she got out, clad in a green sweater over her dark green swimsuit. "Gawd, what people like 'bout beaches, Ah'll neva know."

Logan chuckled...and then he spied something: five metal spheres, dropping out of the sky...heading straight at them.

Two of the spheres got Rogue and Evan before Logan could shout a warning. A third went after Kitty, but she managed to phase through it...and then the sphere released a green gas, knocking her out, allowing it to capture her.

Kurt managed to 'port away at first, until the fourth sphere got him with its gas and scooped him up.

And then the last sphere went after *him*. Logan snarled, and popped out his claws, slashing the tendrils that reached for him. The sphere wasn't phased, as the metal he ripped off seemed to shoot back to stick to the sphere...*magnetically*, before it fused back together. Then, the sphere got close enough to use its gas, and Logan eventually succumbed.

Once the spheres had collected their prizes, they flew off.

*Louisiana, New Orleans*

Remy had just walked into the bar, and ordered a shot; thank God for fake I.D.'s. He had just sat down to enjoy...

...when a knife hit the counter, inches from Remy's hand.

Remy calmly finished his drink, before looking at who had thrown it.

'*Julien.*' he thought. '*Figures.*' Julien was the leader of a small-time gang of thieves: the Rippers. He had been Remy's main rival back in Remy's days with the Thieves Guild.

Without the protection of the Guild, Remy figured that Julien would come after him.

"Well, looky 'ere." Julien drawled, smiling wryly. "Looks like ol' Remy's been turned out by 'is *pere*."

"Minor diff'rence." Remy corrected. "Remy *walked* out. Jus' wanted t' make dat clear." He turned his chair around to face Julien and his gang. "Finally got de guts t' face Remy, Jules?"

Julien's eyes narrowed. "Y' can' hide behind yer *pere*'s Guild anymore, LeBeau. Y' ass is *fair game*."

Remy chuckled. "Remy nev'r needed de Guild t' kick y' ass, Jules." he quipped. "Dat ain' changed."

Julien growled...and pulled out an automatic.

'*An' dat's Remy's cue t' leave.*' Remy thought. He ran to the side, leaping out an open window as Julien opened fire. Remy rolled, landing on his feet perfectly.

In seconds, the Rippers ran into the alley he'd landed in, brandishing knives. Remy drew his staff and extended it, blocking the first one's attack, whirling into a back-spin strike, taking out *two* Rippers. But by then, more had filled the alley, including Julien.

Remy frowned, looking around. The fence behind him was only wood. A few explosive cards would distract the Rippers enough to knock it down...

Suddenly, a metal sphere dropped out of the sky, hovering over Remy. Remy only got a chance to say one word before it grabbed him.

"*Merde*..."

The sphere flew off with him inside, leaving a cursing Julien behind.

'*Well, Remy's out o' de fryin' pan...*' Remy thought, '*...but why do Remy got a feelin' dat 'e's 'eaded for de fire?*'

The Blackbird landed far to the north, near the North Pole. As Charles got out, he paused in amazement before the massive floating asteroid before him.

The only thing more impressive had been Clark's Fortress of Solitude...and Charles had a feeling that this place had a much more sinister purpose than Superman's crystalline sanctuary...

Suddenly, his wheelchair was lifted up, towards the asteroid, and headed into it, down a high-tech hallway, coming to a stop in a room filled with cryo-stasis chambers.

And in those chambers were Archangel, Banshee, Beast, Bishop, Colossus, Gambit, Iceman, Psylocke, Sunfire and Thunderbird. Scott: Jean, Rogue, Kitty, Kurt, Evan, Ororo and Logan weren't inside them.

Charles turned to see Magneto there, smiling slyly.

"Erik..." He murmured. "...what have you done?"

Magneto just smiled, backing Charles' wheelchair towards an empty chamber.

"It's been so long, Charles." He said. "We have some catching up to do..."