บท 23: Magneto

"Thank you for coming," the bald man said as he led Richard into the compound.

"So what am I here for this time? Hope no one is drawing any blood?" Richard asked.

"No… that has already proven to be a futile attempt. Instead, we called you here because of a mutant."

"What does said mutant have to do with me?" Richard asked, making Xavier turn to him.

"Hank is smart, yes… but this is a mutant that possesses strange technology, just like you. We believe that you will help us find him so we can capture him before he hunts all of us to extinction," Xavier explained without even batting an eye.

"So, resident tech expert… right?"

"Yes… we know you may have been busy, but as it stands now, this mutant is after both you and me, so we had no choice but to bring you in."

"I see… just show me where I'll be working from now on, and I'll find him for you," Richard said with a shrug.

He wanted the Celestial technology that went around with En Sabah Nur, so why wouldn't he work with the X-Men to capture the man? In fact, if possible, Richard wanted him dead, but since he knew that Xavier and his men would disagree, he decided to just act as support.

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Somewhere on the planet, in a hospital, a man could be seen lying on the hospital bed with his arms, legs, and chest wrapped tightly in bandages, and his head placed inside some mechanism to prevent him from moving too much.

The hospital looked as normal as it should, with several pieces of equipment made to monitor his health set up all around the room. The man was receiving the best care the facility could offer. However, if one looked closely, they would find that everything in the room was made from plastic or non-magnetic metals.

The room itself was just a plastic cage dangling on some chains in the middle of an incredibly larger room. Magneto may be crippled as of now, but he was still a wanted criminal of the highest order—a man with an actual Red Notice.

Beep!! Beep!!!

Loud beeping sounds filled the entire room, waking the unconscious man. But due to his current position, he was completely powerless. The loud noises continued as siren after siren sound was added to the mix. Hearing the sounds, Magneto smiled, knowing that someone was coming to save him.

"So this is where they put you," an ancient voice said as purple light filled the room.

"Who are you?" Magneto asked, seeing the weird-looking man and his acolytes that appeared in the room.

All of them looked weird and wore some form of ancient high-tech armor. Looking at the small group, Magneto didn't know what to say. He had never seen any of them before, and now they were rescuing him.

"Thousands of years ago, that question would have resulted in your beheading, but alas, the world has forgotten its emperor. I am known as En Sabah Nur… we are here to offer you a chance to fulfill your dreams," the man said as he strolled closer to Magneto's bed.

"You came to the wrong place. Now leave," Magneto said, knowing well how things such as these end.

"Your refusal had been anticipated. I have to say you are a wise one, Erik, but how would you like to take your revenge on the one who did this to you?" En Sabah Nur said, striking a core part in Magneto's heart.

It had been months since that happened, and as much as he wanted to fool himself that he wasn't affected by the beatdown, he knew that it affected his psyche. To remove that trauma, he needed a rematch. The name Magneto has never known fear, nor would it start now.

"You should have begun with that," Magneto said as the man placed his hand on Magneto's head and purple light filled the room.

Immediately, Magneto took a deep breath as though he just had life put back in him as the wounds slowly started closing, and his bones reset and were fully healed. Seeing this, the group behind En Sabah Nur smiled, feeling that they had followed the right person.

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Back at the X-Mansion

Inside the mansion, Richard was in a massive garage or hangar located under the X-Mansion itself. It's surprising how much bigger this building actually is if one counts all the underground spaces.

"Hmm… never thought I would be trusted enough to be brought down here," Richard commented as he looked at the massive plane in the hangar.

"Our circumstances mean we have no choice. Now, this is where you will work from. Just ask if you need any extra equipment beyond what's already set up," Xavier said, pointing to an already set table filled with all sorts of tech.

"Don't worry, I can do just fine with these few. Now, what exactly am I looking for?" Richard asked as he turned back to Xavier.