Chapter 2 : Master of Magnetism

2006 San Francisco

"Move damn you, MOVE!" The old Jewish man shouted at an invisible opponent, in the middle of the chess park. "Sorry" he apologised. "I'm awfully competitive." He smiled to the disturbed players. As they all looked away he outstretched his finger and concentrated, just like he had for the past few days when he first moved the metallic chess piece.

"You know, you have to touch the piece to move it." Smiled a man in his twenties with short brown hair and a light beard. "But then again if you had your powers…." He sat down so nobody heard him.

"Are you hear to kill me?" The old man simply said. "Then shoot you Human coward, I am but a man." Intensity and fire burnt in the eyes of the former mutant.

"No Magneto, I am a Mutant as well" The man smiled and moved a chess piece to put magneto in check. "I believe that's mate" he smiled arrogantly.

"Are you my boy….no this is check mate." Magneto took his piece and trapped the mans king in check with one move. The man was gob smacked.

"Well done." The man congratulated magneto.

"I am not here for your praise" Magneto cut him off quickly. "I am simply human, mutants have no need for me any more." Magneto feigned disinterest.

"Magneto" a frail woman's voice came from behind them. "Mutant kind will rally to your banner and we will need them in the coming months for the repercussions you have caused." She said as Magneto turned around.

"My good lady" Magneto laughed as he saw the elderly woman was blind and being helped to stand by a younger woman. "If she is a mutant then I'm a six foot blond with blue eyes" Magneto nodded to the younger one.

"No, she is a human" The man interrupted. "But Ms. Winters is a mutant sympathiser and our contact in the human government."

"And the old woman is…" Magneto turned half between the man and half between the women.

"I am Irene but you Magneto can call me Destiny." She announced proudly.

"She can see into the future." The man said.

"Useful" Magneto now turned fully to the man. "Who are you?"

"I am a friend"

"A Friend?" Magneto jested. "I've heard that one before…So what do you do?" The man hesitated.

"Try and move your king" he pointed to the chess set. Magneto with all his dignity and resolve couldn't move it.

"Okay…" the man laughed "Now try" Magneto now hesitated but now it moved. "My name is Fabian Cortez"

Westchester, New York

"I don't believe this crap!" Wolverine roared as he switched off the radio in his room classroom.

"Logan have you seen?" Rogue burst through the door and switched on his T.V. "The Mutants have blew up the Humanitarian complex in Chicago." She said.

"I know I heard on the radio" He growled.

"Logon!" Storm and Colossus came in. "Look" Storm pointed to the Telly.

"The mutants easily disposed of the museum which portrays our human history" the reporter commented as the fiery rubble was viewed from a helicopter. "The Individuals left this." A tape was shown of what happened.

"My God" Storm breathed as she saw a young man fire red beams of energy from his hands into one wing of the building blowing it apart.

"…." Rogue was speechless as a man in a long coat was casually tossing bits of debris into the other wing and they were acting as grenades as they blew up.

"Hell no" Logan cursed as another young man made an earth quake destroying the rest of the building. The three men turned to the camera and they looked no older than twenty and started shouting "MAGNETO WAS RIGHT!"

MAGNETO WAS RIGHT!!!!

"I'm Joanne Lockley, we will continue this story shortly." The reporter finished.

"I don't believe them" Rogue began but teared up before she could finish..

"They were only doing what they think is right and they didn't hurt anyone" Colossus said quietly then walked out.

Mount Prospect, Chicago

"Eighty Mutants including myself you say?" Magneto asked Cortez as he fitted his cape tighter in the mirror of his private tent.

"Of course, Magneto" Fabian Cortez humbly said. "But a few would follow you to death proudly now….while others need a demonstration that the cure for the cure is permanent." Cortez informed the Master of Magnetism.

"And why do you think it is?" Magneto used his powers to levitate his helmet to his head.

"Cause he tried it on me first" A familiar voice just entered.

"Mystique?" Magneto whispered as he turned to face the entrance.

"Eric" She replied happily as they hugged.

"My Darling, I would of came back for you bu--" Magneto was interrupted.

"I just don't believe the humans believed I would ever betray you." Mystique purred as her blue skin was glowing in the dim light of the tent.

"I do hate to interrupt…but."

"Pyro?" Magneto laughed welcoming him into his tent. "I thought you was X-man food?"

"Nah boss, no prison can keep my flame controlled" he smiled.

"Well it helps when I'm around" A blue skinned teenage girl casually walks in through the gap in the tent.

"Eric this is Nocturne" Mystique said in his ear. "After you were reportedly dead I decided on a protégé like you did to me and well she can possess other people for a certain time so we got John out of the nasty jail." She smiled.

"Nocturne" he nodded in recognition of the girls abilities.

"Magneto" she slightly bowed as a sign of respect for the older mutant.

"Eric" another voice came but this time from the roof. "What…no Hug?"

"Toad" Magneto nearly spat it out like it had as bad of taste as Toad actually did. "Stop playing and get down from there." He commanded and Toad obeyed.

"It took a while but he found me" Mystique said to Magneto about Toad.

"Magneto You still have business" Fabian reminded him.

"You are my lieutenants in this war, never forget that." Magneto said to the four acolytes as he followed Cortez out of the tent.

Homeland Security Council, White house, Washington D.C.

"Is it done?" The Head of Homeland Security, Bovilar Trask.

"Of course, Sir!" A military scientist saluted.

"Enough Major" He walked up to the man then turned quickly away and whispered. "Get on with it, Talbot." The Major then around to a console and keyed in the password for the screen to show designs and blueprints. "MAJOR GENN TALBOT" Trask screamed "I did not come here for you to show me designs for a nanotechnology Robot." Trask turned to the scientist. "I came here for the mutant Hunters!"

"Well sir." Talbot stammered out. "If you let me." Trask calmed himself enough so The Major scientist pushed a red button to shoe a camera feed to a huge machine working as a factory for huge sentinels