Cyclops had never been so tempted to open his eyes in his entire life. Here was Magneto, strutting around his victory over the team like a peacock, and there was nothing he could do about it. How he would love to open them just for a little peak and watch Magneto go sailing across the room… no! He had to stay in control or they were all goners. If his temper was lost, Magneto would be more dangerous than ever.

            "All right, Magneto, gloat," he said. "You can't do any worse to us now anyway!"

            Magneto leaned forward and Cyclops could smell his slimy breath. "Trust me on this, Cyclops. I can do much worse to you than this. That I swear."

            He resumed his old position and said, "So. I suppose you'd all like to hear my brilliant plan? This is traditionally the moment when the villain gloats, is it not?"

            "Oh shut up and spill it, Maggie," said Wolverine in impatience.

            "Right." Magneto lifted his head up as though to recall fond memories of scheming. "Here is my little story."

            All of this started after you handed me my last defeat. I realized that as long as you X-Men lived, I stood no chance. There was no possible way to defeat such a highly skilled team as yours without help. And even the help provided by past Brotherhoods of Evil Mutants had failed me. I needed a tool, something to craft with and finally, nail in your coffins.

            So I decided that my next plan would not be one of conquest, as I normally would. This time would be different. This time there would be no X-Men., for I would be their destructor. This time, when take-over was imminent, no super-powered mutants would stand in my way. Only the foolish armies of the Earth, who are foolish enough to use metal as their main material.

            So I set to pick out a team, as I usually do. The Scarlet Witch, my daughter turned good, turned back, was a given. She would have volunteered had I not asked anyway. To combat the Wolverine and then some, I needed his arch rival and total equal… the mutant called Sabretoth, a failure in every aspect bent on revenge. Next was Pyro, normally partnered with Raven Darkholme, the strange creature called Mystique. His fire manipulation powers would serve perfectly, with no qualms about use on people, as the Human Torch has. This would do, I decided. There were not as many of mine as there were X-Men, but I figured that their powers were more than enough for Xavier's foolish bunch to handle.

            But it needed something. Something… more. So I racked my brain of all the evil mutants I could think of that would serve. Juggernaut was too powerful, even for me. Apocalypse would stab me as soon as I turned my back. And the rest of my original Brotherhood were either working on the other side now, dead, or too wrapped up in their own affairs to care. My head felt as though it would explode! I was on fire for my plan, yet I needed that special tool I had spoke of!

            That was when it came to me: Mesmero! The hypnotizing, green-skinned, mutant-for-hire! He had even been used once for a plan of mine, though it had been a dismal failure. I had to get him! Naturally, he signed on, intent on revenge against the X-Men.

            We located ourselves in Mesmero's old Tibet hideout that he had used once before. As Nightcrawler and Angel discovered, it was an old diamond refinery and mine turned base. We got ourselves situated and altered the home to my likings, but kept this room around just in case it was ever needed. You might be interested to know that I created single-handedly the security system you had to get through when you entered the base.

            Now that I had my team, lair, and total secrecy, I needed a plan to lure you all to my home. So I turned to your most mysterious mutant: Logan, the one called Wolverine. I knew that for nearly his entire life, he had been searching for the answers to his past, and that he would do anything to find a relative, living or otherwise. I decided to use this to my advantage.

            I sought out a mutant with a healing factor such as the Wolverine's. This was necessary for him to believe the false story I would plant. Using my own Cerebro machine, I found my mutant in a werewolf type of creature: Silverback. His name was, as you know, derived from the long silver stripe that runs down his back when he transforms. I told him what I wanted and provided him with enough gold to buy Rhode Island, and he agreed to my plan. At this point, you X-Men finally entered the picture.

            I sent Silverback to your mansion, where he met Wolverine. Cyclops nearly ruined the entire scheme, but luckily, Wolverine defended his 'brother', and Jean Grey stepped in before anyone got hurt. The four of you came inside to talk about Wolverine's past with Silverback, and back at base, Mesmero went into action. Using a machine that projected all mutant powers farther than they would normally go, he hypnotized Nightcrawler into teleporting our werewolf henchman back to base, as planned. He had given you just enough information to make you curious, but not enough for you to guess his true loyalties.

            Once we had Silverback back home, we waited for you all to guess where we hid, and come after us. Once you were above the woodlands of Tibet, I used the long distance machine to send chain saw blades flying towards your jet. Though Wolverine did not know it at the time, Mesmero hypnotized him into jumping out, and I used his adamantium skeleton in order to land him exactly where we wanted him. Didn't know that part, did you?

            You all waited for a while, but Ms. Grey was unable to discover Wolverine's location thanks to a mental block placed by Mesmero. That night, under the influence of our green-skinned friend, Wolverine found himself falling drowsy, and finally asleep, despite his strong ability to ward off mental attacks. That night, we carried out the next part of our plan: we made him mortally afraid of fire. He became a terrified weakling around its flames. This served two purposes: one, if he was not found, then he could not eat. Two, if he ever had to face Pyro, the result would be in my favor.

            The next morning, you all split up. I transported all of Menace, the name I had given my team, to combat your X-Men, while Mesmero stayed back at base to battle Jean Grey. During the ensuing battles, Nightcrawler and Angel were captured, Sabretooth was left for dead, and I was kidnapped. The rest of Menace returned to base, and I quickly escaped bondage.

            We had to move quickly for the final stages of the plan. Wolverine discovered the room where Silverback was, thinking that he could now rescue his brother, but he was attacked, and the monster's treachery was uncovered. Wolverine defeated and killed him, so we had to go to Plan B. Pyro, wielding Wolverine's worst fear, attacked Logan, but the Wolverine defeated his dragon and killed its master.

            In the mean time, the X-Men had found me, as planned, and I allowed them to defeat me in order to wipe myself from their minds. You believed it too, didn't you? This allowed me access to the security room without them returning. With no use for Mesmero any more and short two Menace members, I hypnotized him into becoming my devoted servant and quickly showed him some martial arts to use against you all. He joined the rest of Menace in this room and waited.

            Unfortunately, Angel and Nightcrawler escaped, a glitch I had not foreseen in the grand scheme of things. They, along with Wolverine, rejoined the rest of the body and discovered this room.  The grand battle I had waited for since the beginning ensued. Sabretooth died. Everyone else survived, but Menace was defeated. It was time to make my play.

            I emerged from the shadows and trapped you all in this metal snake, and well… you know the rest, correct?

            Magneto smiled at the end of his story. "Notice how I called this scrap I control you all with a snake? That is because a snake squeezes its prey until death. And that, my dear X-Men, is precisely how the Menace will win and conquer is ensured for me. So without further ado, X-Men… you die!"

            I know it's a cliffhanger, but the next chapter's a doozy! Be there!