If somebody asked you who the most iconic X-Men villain was, you'd probably get a few different answers. Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister, or maybe even Nimrod.
But for me? There was only one answer to that question.
The Master of Magnetism would always reign supreme in my heart, because magnetism was just a fricking cool power.
Seeing it in person only reinforced that opinion.
Several planes in the sky suddenly crumpled together with a terrible screech. Metal twisted and buckled as the aircraft were crushed into mangled masses before hurtling toward the base like missiles.
A deafening boom shook the earth as they slammed into the few remaining HYDRA forces, shattering what little resistance was left. The handful of soldiers who hadn't been crushed beneath the screaming metal wreckage had their guns ripped from their hands and aimed back at them.
A flurry of bangs rang out.
Then silence returned.
Seemingly uncaring about the carnage around him, Magneto slowly descended toward us.
I glanced down at my lightsaber before quickly switching it off and slipping it into my bag of holding. I'd rather not have my one-of-a-kind weapon get scrunched by Magneto.
"Color me surprised, Logan," Magneto said. "Has Charles finally grown a spine and seen the truth of what must be done?"
"Fuck off." Logan scowled. "I owe the kid a favor, so I came. Save your crazy mutant spiel for someone else."
"As eloquent as always." Mystique stepped off the metal disk and gave a small clap. "Maybe that school really is doing you some good."
Logan growled at Mystique's jab, but I couldn't really focus on their conversation as Magneto walked toward me.
He was an older man, practically ancient, with white hair and deep lines across his face. With his iconic helmet and cape billowing behind him, the man had a presence. I could understand why so many people followed him.
"Greetings." Magneto offered me his hand. "I've heard much about you, Jack."
"Only good things, I hope." I shot him a smile as I shook his hand.
"Indeed." Magneto gave a small chuckle. "You have my deepest thanks for informing me about these pests."
The amount of hatred and rage he packed into that last word was almost palpable. I felt pretty confident in my chances of taking Magneto down if push came to shove, but even that sent a small shiver down my spine.
"If you ever require my aid, please do not hesitate to call." The older man gave me a respectful nod.
Right. Considering his past, tipping him off about HYDRA had probably earned me a lot of points in his book.
"...Help with anything?" I couldn't help but ask.
"I trust you will be reasonable." The older man gave me an amused look. "Of course, we can discuss the details later. I imagine both of us could do much to help one another."
Ah, so that was what this was about.
He was buttering me up because he wanted access to my knowledge as a "seer." Also probably wanted to recruit me, now that I thought about it.
Hmm. Well, having a non-murderous Magneto on my side was a net positive in my book. So…
"I'll look forward to it."
"We done chatting?" Logan frowned as he stared toward the base. "I'd rather not give these assholes time to call in more reinforcements."
"Yes... by all means." Magneto chuckled darkly as he turned toward the facility. With a wave of his hand, several spheres of metal twisted into shape around him as a vicious smile crept across his face. "We have so much work to do."
—-
Mr. Sinister couldn't help but sigh in wonder.
The mass of flesh before him twisted and writhed, contorting itself into entirely different forms. Wood, steel, and countless other materials flowed seamlessly from one shape to the next.
Of course, shapeshifting matter was hardly beyond the capabilities of the X-Gene. But whatever strange beast this sample had come from was using an entirely different process.
The way it manipulated its own atoms, even rewriting its DNA in the process, was simply sublime.
The inspiration he'd gained from a mere preliminary test was a blessing in itself.
Yet, as if that weren't enough, it was reproducible.
Mr. Sinister hummed with barely restrained glee as he looked over the countless "eggs" HYDRA had managed to produce. His own cloning methods were far superior, of course, but quantity was a quality all its own.
Who would have thought his little contact from all those years ago would eventually bear such wonderful fruit?
HYDRA had been dreadfully dull back during the Second World War. So obsessed with progress, technology, and Erskine's so-called "super soldiers."
Hah!
As if those pathetic little serums could ever compare to the wonders of the X-Gene.
The secret to human evolution lay in its pursuit, and now, with this new material, the wonders he could create...
Mr. Sinister shivered at the thought.
Oh, how he would have loved nothing more than to remain in this laboratory for days and simply research. A fully equipped facility, stocked with resources, and best of all, one he hadn't even needed to pay for.
A pity that arrangement was rapidly becoming untenable.
Another boom shook the base, causing the lights overhead to flicker.
He pulled out his tablet and quickly brought up several of the security feeds he had tapped into. On one, a pair of men dressed in black were tearing through HYDRA's defenses with almost insulting ease. Both were obviously superhuman in some fashion, cutting through the base's security as they pushed deeper into the facility.
As if that weren't interesting enough, another tap brought up one of the rapidly fading exterior feeds.
A teleporting blur flashed across the screen, with a familiar red-helmeted figure trailing behind.
Mr.Sinister frowned as he recognized Magneto.
Truly a pity, but it seemed his time here was up.
"Professor Essex!"
Doctor List hurried into the laboratory with several black-clad soldiers close behind him. They immediately began gathering up the various samples and equipment, his perfectly orderly workspace quickly descending into messy chaos.
How vexing.
"Is something wrong, Doctor?" Mr. Sinister asked, putting just enough fear into his voice to sell the act.
"Some fools have invaded the base." Doctor List glanced nervously back toward the door. "We can continue the work elsewhere, but we must leave now."
"Of course, of course." Mr. Sinister nodded, continuing to play the part of the harmless researcher as the laboratory was hastily packed away.
They moved through the tunnels beneath the base until they eventually reached a nondescript room. The soldiers quickly deposited the samples before hurrying off, no doubt to deal with the ongoing intrusion.
That left Mr. Sinister alone with most of the researchers and a handful of noncombat staff.
HYDRA truly was the gift that kept on giving.
Mr. Sinister chuckled softly, drawing several strange looks from the surrounding staff.
"Is something funny?" Bolivar Trask scowled.
Mr. Sinister waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing at all. Truly, I am simply too fortunate."
Dr.Trask's expression darkened. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Before anyone could stop him, Dr.Trask stepped forward and grabbed Mr. Sinister by the collar.
"Enough!" Doctor List snapped. "This is hardly the time. We need to prepare for evacuation."
"Of course." Mr. Sinister smiled pleasantly. "Doctor List is quite right."
He settled his gaze on Dr. Trask.
A faint brush of psychic power slipped into the man's mind, wrapping around his thoughts before crushing what little resistance he managed to muster.
Dr. Trask's angry expression went slack.
The fool was irritating, certainly, but his expertise in robotics and several of his ideas were far too useful to waste. He would make a wonderfully useful assistant.
"Go prepare the subjects for evacuation, Doctor Trask," Mr. Sinister ordered.
"Yes," Trask replied flatly before turning to gather the necessary samples and notes.
Doctor List stared after him for a moment before slowly backing away.
"You..." His face went pale as he pointed at Sinister. "You're one of them!"
"Oh, don't be dramatic." Mr. Sinister rolled his eyes.
"SHOOT HIM!" Doctor List screeched as he scrambled backward.
Several members of the staff fumbled for pistols, but frightened researchers and analysts were hardly a match for the speed of thought. A quick telepathic pulse washed over the room, freezing the entire group in place.
"Haaah." Mr. Sinister shook his head as Dr. Trask mindlessly continued gathering specimens and research notes into a pile.
"All gathered, sir," Dr. Trask reported numbly.
The gathered pile was disappointingly small.
It truly was a travesty that his teleporter had a mass limit. Finding good help like these researchers was always such tedious work, and with a few careful nudges and mental implants, he could have walked away with his own veritable research team.
A pity, but what could one do?
Still, perhaps he could salvage one last thing from this little arrangement.
Mr. Sinister smiled as he pulled out a small vial and turned toward Doctor List. With a flick of his thumb, he popped it open.
"Consider this my gift to you, my young friend."
Doctor List struggled as Sinister forced the liquid down his throat, desperately trying to clamp his mouth shut.
"You helped advance my research by decades!" Mr. Sinister beamed. "You truly have my thanks."
His attempts at putting "powers" in a bottle were still woefully unstable, but the effects should last long enough for one final experiment. The X-Gene cocktail within the vial contained traces of several different abilities, and Sinister was terribly curious to see how well they might synergize.
Doctor List began to twitch.
His body swelled as the genetic modifier went to work, muscles thickening and bones stretching beneath his skin.
Mr. Sinister turned his attention toward the countless glass "eggs" containing the flesh specimens.
It truly was a pity he couldn't take them all with him.
Well, best to make use of them, then.
With a casual gesture, telekinetic force swept through the room. The glass eggs rose into the air and slowly drifted above the helpless researchers.
Doctor List, of course, received the great honor of having several positioned directly over him.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Mr. Sinister announced with a delighted smile, "your contributions to science shall forever be remembered!"
The glass shattered.
The fleshy specimens dropped intact onto the researchers below.
The creatures lacked anything that could truly be called a mind, but they possessed one very simple instinct.
To eat.
And eat they did.
Mr. Sinister watched in fascination as pale tendrils spread across screaming bodies, devouring flesh and rapidly expanding with every mouthful. Yet Doctor List proved far more interesting. The swollen man disappeared beneath a writhing mass of tendrils, but instead of simply consuming him, the specimens began burrowing into his flesh and weaving themselves through his altered body.
They were combining.
Bones cracked and reformed as foreign muscle wrapped itself around his enlarged frame. Metallic growths erupted through layers of flesh while countless tendrils knitted themselves into his nervous system, until it became impossible to tell where Doctor List ended and the specimens began.
A towering monstrosity of flesh and metal rose from the remains and unleashed a deafening roar.
Mr. Sinister stared up at it in wonder.
Did the specimens possess some natural affinity for the X-Gene?
Oh, he would absolutely have to test that.
Unfortunately, it appeared his curiosity had kept him here slightly too long. By the time he finally tore his attention away, the other researchers had already been consumed, leaving only him and the obedient Dr. Trask standing amid the carnage.
The gigantic creature turned toward him.
Its torso split open into a gaping vortex of flesh, rows of steel teeth forming along the edges before it lunged.
Mr. Sinister sighed.
Such a pity.
He activated his teleporter and vanished from the HYDRA base, regretting only that he wouldn't be able to stay and observe the results.
***
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