The sights and smells of the city assailed his senses in a wild swirl of sensations that were both familiar and distant to him. It had been many years since he'd ventured into the center of a city of this size. Even during the Statue of Liberty fiasco, he'd only ventured so far as Ellis Island. He inhaled deeply, savoring the sickeningly sweet scent of corruption, death, and violence that lay beneath the stink of smog and the oblivious but unconsciously fearful clamor of the streets.
He scratched at his close-cropped hair and grinned at the gasp of fright from the weasely little man in the business suit next to him. Victor turned his gaze on him and saw that his eyes were riveted on Victor's clawed hands. He chuckled with delight at the other's fear and let loose with a low animal growl out of pure maliciousness.
The man let out a squeal and bolted, glancing back at Victor in terror as he careened through the crowd.
Smiling to himself, Victor continued on his way.
He had come to New York in search of Eric Lenshire. The old Mutant had effectively disappeared after the attack on Worthing Labs, but Victor had tracked him down by combining a few of Lenshire's backup pseudonyms to find his current whereabouts. He had recently certified as a welder with one of the larger construction companies. It was only a matter of looking up all the current projects that company was working on, and visiting the sites. He'd had to call in a number of favors and make a few threats, but all in all, it wasn't hard.
He spent the next few days walking the city, sniffing out the various construction sites and watching for any sign of Lenshire. During the evenings he prowled the parks and alleys for likely victims, robbing them for whatever cash they had, and then dumping the rest of their stolen valuables in the East river. At one point, he indulged himself with the girlfriend of some gang banger he had robbed after watching him pocket a nice wad of cash after a deal. She had given it up eagerly enough, ready to sideline her dying boyfriend in favor of her own well-being, but it wasn't long before she was regretting that decision.
He smiled grimly to himself. Her screams had been sweet to his ears, and her blood gratifying to him. But it had been less than he'd expected it to be. He couldn't help but to remember her. Her scent alone was enough to drive him crazy, but when he'd tasted her blood…Just the memory of her made him shudder and his groin ache.
He shoved away from the wall of the alley he'd been watching from, his temper starting to rise. He had to stay calm, focused. He couldn't afford to go off half-cocked this time. With that metal skeleton, Jimmy was too strong for him to take down on his own. But Lenshire was the key.
He strode through the crowded streets with a bubble of space all around him. The other pedestrians seemed to subconsciously sense that he was dangerous, and none of them was inclined to come anywhere near him.
He mulled his plan over in his mind. He had to be careful; Lenshire was smart, and couldn't be trusted. He wouldn't put it past the old bastard to try and use her to control him, if he ever found out about her. Victor wandered aimlessly for a long time, his thoughts dark and calculating.
He was passing by the park when an errant breeze blew him the very scent he was looking for. He froze in his tracks and focused. His instincts kicked in, and he followed the scent of his quarry into the park. He finally came upon a cluster of tiny stone tables with small stone benches on either side. Many were occupied by old codgers playing chess, and the occasional kid playing with his grampa.
Victor stayed well back in the stunted trees that grew here in the city, and scanned the group at the tables. His eyes fell up on a lone figure, bundled to the ears against the evening's chill. Many people came and went, but none sat down or even approached him.
The old codger sat there for an hour or so. Finally, he reached out slowly for the cane resting against the table, and hauled himself to his feet.
"It's about time."
Victor waited until he had shuffled off out of sight, and then followed along a parallel course. He caught sight of his quarry as he slowly turned down a shabby side street lined on both sides with dilapidated old apartment buildings.
Staying in the shadows, Victor crept slowly up the street, and caught a clear whiff of the man's scent. He grinned with satisfaction. The scent was a little off, but it was definitely Lenshire.
There was a light tinkle as he pulled out a set of keys and started up the three steps to the front door to a run-down old three story building.
"Well," Lenshire called out in a clear, unsurprised voice. "Don't be shy my boy, come in."
Victor spots Magneto sitting alone at a chess table, bundled to the ears in hat, scarf, jacket, and gloves. A few minutes after he spots him, Magneto gets slowly to his feet and shuffles off. Victor follows discreetly. He follows Lenshire to a run-down apartment a few blocks away. As he pulls out a key to unlock the front door, he calls out to Victor. "Don't be shy my boy, come in."
Victor smiles, not terribly surprised that lenshire had made him, but secretly irritated at himself for being detected at all.
Inside Lenshire heats up a pot of tea on an old gas stove and settles himself in at a rickety table. You've changed, Lad. The trim suits you,"
Victor looks around in mild surprise. He questions lenshire on his purpose in this dump. Lenshire goes cold and demonstrates his greatly diminshed ability. He explains how he was struck down with a cure weapon, and how he was rebuilding his abilities.
Victor is at first put off, shocked and sorely disappointed. He makes up his mind to leave when Magneto asks for his assistance in restoring his abilities. He's heard rumors that some of the other mutants whom had been hit with the cure weapons had, under severe duress, begun to exhibit a strong return of their abilities, though all had died shortly thereafter, some having taken their assailants into the grave with them. His plan was to break into the University and put himself into the huge Electro Magnet they had built there. He believed that doing so would stress his body and force a return of his full ability.
When the possibility of death is mentioned, he stares out of the window and makes some pronouncement of death being preferable to this existence of stolen Godhood. Victor agrees to help him. As Erik dtirs his tea, he asks why Victor came looking for him. He decides to tell Lenshire that he wants what Stryker promised him and he needs Erik's help in getting it. Erik states that the only source of Admantium he knows of is in Wolverine. Victor smiles. "Exactly."
Erik is still murderously enraged at the x-team for their part in stealing his ability, so he readily agrees to help Victor in return for his assistance.
They decide to do the job alone, and manage to sneak into the university through one of the other departments' entrance. A few security guards get killed, and they have the access keys they need to get into the applied Technology department. They find the super magnet, and manage to get it running. Erik places himself in side and is tortured and tormented by the massive force being directed at his body. He feels his power beginning to return, and then with a sudden, crushing rush, it explodes into full bloom, just as he loses consciousness.
Victor, fearing that Magneto is dying, tears apart the mechanism that feeds power, and drags Lenshire out of the machine as police surround the place. He takes Lenshire back to his tiny apartment and watches over him as he recovers.
Eric removed his shoes and stepped into the acceleration chamber. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath; quite possibly his last.
"Turn it on, Lad."
Victor flipped on the line of switches and hit the big red button. The entire room began to hum and buzz. Within the chamber, Eric could feel the steadily growing forces assailing his body. The air itself began to vibrate, and his power began to respond. He seized his ability and struggled to force it to take control of the magnetic field that was battering him, but the field was already too strong, and he felt himself flapping uselessly in the current of magnetic forces bearing down on him.
The air vibrated harder, and he began to feel the physical toll the Electromagnets were taking on his body. His head felt as if it were being crushed in an enormous vise, and his teeth clattered together so violently that he knew they would surely shatter soon. He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms protectively around his head.
His instincts screamed at him to escape. His body withered beneath the pressures being exerted upon it. But beneath it all, he began to feel the currents with sharper clarity. The change was slight, but it gave him a taste of his former might, and he clutched at that miniscule change with everything he had. He would have his power back, or he would die trying.
He seized his power again, and this time, instead of seeking control, he merely stood his ground. The currents pushed and shoved at him, smashing against his defenses with mindless and implacable impetus. He fell forward and shuddered, unable to withstand the brutal, invisible attack on his senses. But still he persisted, sensing that the internal struggle between the "Cure" and his own divine nature was soon to come to an ultimate and inevitable conclusion.
His vision began to blur, but he could see the forces moving around him. He smiled, as he gazed lovingly into the face of his oldest and dearest friend, and then spiraled out of control into the abyss.
Victor watched in chagrin as the antiquated mutant collapsed.
"Don't die on me yet you looney old bastard." He growled under his breath.
The old man fell on his face, and he cussed violently. He watched for a minute longer, knowing that the crazy old fool had finally offed himself. He was just about to leave him for the police to find when he heard a tremendous thud, and the screech of tortured metal.
Within the chamber, the writhing air came to a sudden standstill, and a huge chunk of the machine suddenly tore itself away from the whole and crashed to the ground.
"He did it. The crazy sonofabitch did it!" He muttered in disbelief. From out in the hall, the distant voices of the campus police could be heard as they came in search of the intruders and the source of all the noise.
He hurriedly jumped the barriers and scooped up the limp form of his erstwhile leader, and fled.