For this operation, Magneto was absolutely determined. If it was confirmed that Martin was a mutant, he would stop at nothing to recruit him into the Brotherhood and train him as its next leader.
"Experience and leadership skills can be trained over time, but power… power is not something that can be learned."
Among mutants, talent was everything. Whether one rose like a lion or crawled like a worm was often decided the moment their X-Gene awakened.
That hierarchy, who commands and who obeys, had been etched into reality itself since the Celestials descended upon Earth millions of years ago and tampered with its species through genetic experimentation.
Now, Magneto and his forces loomed menacingly on the outskirts of New York City.
Their presence immediately triggered local response. The military mobilized en masse, deploying with specialized weaponry and anti-magnetic munitions. They formed a standoff perimeter, but Magneto didn't even flinch.
With a contemptuous smirk, he ignored the armed forces entirely, leaving his Brotherhood troops stationed outside as a show of force. He himself marched into the city with just a small entourage, regal and fearless, his very presence a calculated insult.
Fury's expression darkened like a thundercloud.
And yet, no one dared to make the first move. The tense silence lingered. All anyone could do was alert Professor X and beg him to intervene before this escalated further.
"Erik, you're breaking the agreement we made!"
Fury's voice thundered through a streetwide amplifier.
Magneto acted as if he hadn't heard a word. He rose into the air, extended a single finger, and the crowd below instantly crumpled under a crushing invisible force, thrown helplessly to the ground.
To a master of one of the universe's four fundamental forces, magnetism, the human body's magnetic field was just another string to pull.
He was Magneto, not some petty Iron Lord.
Without delay, Magneto soared toward Martin's location: a seemingly ordinary auto repair shop on the city's edge, surrounded by piles of scattered vehicle parts and scrap metal.
"Come with me, child. It's time to go home."
Hovering high, Magneto looked down imperiously. With just a flick of his wrist, the shop's thick iron doors groaned open.
Inside, Megatron's crimson optics flared. A quick scan and instant data surge through the local internet told him exactly who this intruder was.
He sneered with mechanical menace. His fusion cannon deployed and began charging, energy spiking to levels high enough to level half the city.
But—
"Let's not get reckless, Megatron. That old man's abilities are… particularly problematic for you."
Martin, half-asleep and still in his pajamas, sat up from bed. Through the shimmering HUD in his mind's eye, he saw the thermodynamic surge within Megatron: ten million degrees of power being funneled into that single blast.
He sighed and raised a hand lazily.
"Cool it."
Megatron paused, reluctantly. He obeyed only because Martin's word carried weight even he couldn't ignore.
"Excellent," Magneto said, pleased, his eyes flickering between the Decepticon and the boy. He was clearly intrigued but kept his gaze focused on Martin.
Descending slowly, Magneto landed before him and extended a hand.
"Martin, you were born to stand with us. The Brotherhood welcomes you."
The joy in his voice was genuine. After so many years, to find a mutant of this caliber, an undisputed Tier-4 talent, was exhilarating beyond words.
Martin rubbed his temples, already exasperated. Glancing around at the gathering military forces, he sighed.
"Erik… I'm not interested in your Brotherhood."
He tapped the side of his head.
"And just so you know, Professor X told me not to accept your offer. Said your methods are too extreme. Said he's on his way here now."
Magneto didn't lose his smile, but something in his eyes sharpened, a flash of steel beneath velvet. He was not the kind of man to be denied.
"Good. Strong convictions are vital in a leader. But you're still young, child. There are forces in this world, forces you've yet to face. That's all right. I'll teach you what experience has taught me."
He reached forward, palm open, trying to rest his hand on Martin's shoulder. In the same instant, a surge of magnetic force rippled outward, locking Martin in place, aiming to whisk him away before Xavier could arrive.
His destination? A steel-fortress island Magneto had constructed in the mid-Atlantic. The Brotherhood's new command center.
Resistance? That was welcome.
The more Martin struggled, the more Magneto would enjoy watching him realize just how vast the gap in their power truly was.
Megatron's optics flared with raw fury. With a guttural snarl, he fired his cannon.
But Magneto didn't even glance his way. He simply lifted a finger.
Megatron's arm jerked violently upward, the shot firing into the air. The blast tore through the ceiling, exploding into the heavens and vanishing into the void beyond Earth.
"Your power is formidable. A gift from the cosmos itself. But sadly for you… you're facing me."
With a storm of authority in his voice, Magneto prepared to claim Martin.
But Martin simply shrugged, the irritation on his face deepening.
"Erik. I'm not going with you. You don't have anything I want."
And then—
An invisible surge pulsed through the air. Martin raised his arm, grabbed Erik's wrist with ironclad confidence, and drew out a strange, gleaming weapon from seemingly nowhere.
"And you're not as strong as you think."
"More importantly… I'm not as weak as you think."