122 Firestorm

[ Magneto's POV]

I dodged another blast of flames and quickly shaped the raw metal floating around me into hardened spikes before flinging them at her.

With a swipe of her hand, the spikes were seemingly repulsed by an invisible force, which knocked them out the sky. Seeing as this strategy was proving ineffective with a flex of my hands and a mental nudge. The metal easily responded to my commands and turned into fine dust.

I still marveled at how much my powers had improved. My control was leagues above what I was previously able to do. It didn't matter the state of the metal. It simply obeyed my commands.

Even the scale was different. I could feel Earth's magnetic poles humming in the background, the movement of the metal moving around deep inside the earth's core. It almost felt like I could tear this planet to pieces and none of these fools would be able to stop me.

I grimaced and with enormous effort I nullified Jean's telekinetic attack. Her attacks were getting harder and harder to defend against and even with all of my new found strength I doubted I would come of this unscathed if I didn't think of something.

I could sense a change in the air as an enormous storm started forming out of nowhere. If I didn't know any better I would have thought it was Orroro's doing. This was different though, the storm was on a completely different level and moments later a tornado had even appeared.

The wind funnel descended from the sky straight into the volcano, creating something I never thought I would see in my lifetime.

A firestorm.

Things didn't end there as an enormous portal appeared in the sky. One that was far larger than what happened in the alien invasion back at new york.

My eyes almost shot out of their sockets when I saw the tornado funneling all of the volcanic ash and toxic gas released towards the portal.

My senses tingled as I felt a new scource of metal coming from the distance. I grew confused for a moment before I suddenly realized where it was coming from.

It was from space, and I was suddenly aware of the thousands of tons of metal trapped inside the floating masses of debris out in the middle of space.

A grin made its way on my face, as one of the rocks felt of something I had never felt before.

I don't think I have ever felt metal as dense as this. It almost seemed to be calling out for me. So, in turn I responded and used my electro-magnetism to urge it towards me.

In the meantime, I had an enraged Phoenix to handle.

(POV End)

Magneto was pulling a Madara...

Which normally would be a cool thing to do if it wasn't for the fact it was headed right towards us.

And, let's just say the sight of an asteroid a few miles wide in diameter, coming out of a portal was as awe inspiring as it was terrifying.

It wasn't enough that by the rules of physics, Magneto should be unable to pull half of the bullshit he was doing.

Like moving iron that was hundreds of degrees below the melting point, which was ionized and hence lacks the electron properties to be ferromagnetic.

However, logic had apparently taken a vacation since clearly that hasn't been the case.

Not only was he able to move the iron in the hemoglobin in his own blood (in order to levitate/fly), as well as things which ought to be non-magnetic even metals other than iron and steel, never mind non-magnetic stainless alloys.

The only explanation I could come up with was that he was somehow using induced current loops to provide the reaction, hence allowing him to move anything conductive at the cost of a great energy expenditure and resistance heating from hysteresis losses, which was kind of... ridiculous.

" Storm! We have to close the portal, Magneto is pulling a fucking asteroid out of space."

" Just a few more minutes." Storm said, obviously strained.

" I don't think we have a few minutes." I said.

The asteroid was already half way out of the the portal and only seemed to be gaining more speed. My body was feeling the strain of today's events and I was beginning to wonder if I should just risk it and close the portal early.

" 90% of the expected damage from the volcanoic eruption has now been averted." I heard Sophie's angelic voice say.

" Get ready I'm closing the portal." I hastily announced.

With a final grunt of effort, I let go of the hold I had on the space stone's power. I didn't fancy doing this again anytime soon I thought as I laid on the sand completely tapped out.

I should probably go for infinite stamina if that power exists. I couldn't help but think.

" Doug we have to go! " Kitty said.

I lifted my head up only to see the asteroid being hit by a hammer shapped projectile. And, with a mighty blow the hammer struck the asteroid... only for nothing to happen.

It only took me a few moments to realize what had just happened. When moments later Thor's hammer floated towards Magneto. Then shot back towards Thor, slamming into him knocking him out of the sky.

" Well that's not good..."

In the end, it took the combined effort of me, Jean and Storm working in tandem to finally defeat Magneto. Thor was out of the account, taken out early on by his own hammer no less. Which must've hurt his pride, judging by how much he was pouting.

He managed to call it back after Magneto had ran off with it, but Magneto didn't waste anytime in running off with the asteroid which I now suspected contained raw unmined Vibranium.

Which I guess now answered the question if Magneto was capable of controlling the rare metal.

His new upgrade also allowed him to escape Sophie's eyes, since he could just scramble any sensors or tracking methods aimed at his person. Even magical rituals were giving me nothing on his location, which leads me to believe he had been in contact with magic users.

I had some speculation over where he was headed, and since apparently this version of Magneto managed to get his hands on an asteroid, it wasn't really a question if he was going to use it to construct a space base, but a matter of when. After all Asteroid M was a famous storyline back in the comics. I just hope he doesn't go too crazy on us and drop it on our collective asses.

Now that the crisis was averted at least until Magneto emerges out of hiding. I sent Thor back to his cruise ship, while Jean, Storm, Kitty and I went back to the X-mansion with Apocalypse in tow.

I still had a Scarlet Witch and a Silver speedster to take care of.

Welp. Time to convince two orphans not to kill a play-boy billionare.

After we arrived at the X-mansion I asked to be lead to where Wanda and her brother Pietro were being kept. It turns out they were at the med-bay, and I found Wanda sitting beside Pietro who was still knocked out.

Before she could say anything I casted a power suppression spell on Pietro. One not to dissimilar to the one I used on Apocalypse. After I was done, I quickly woke him up.

"Arghhh... why do I feel like I've been ran over by a truck. And, why do I feel so slow?" Pietro said.

"Pietro! You're finally awake." Wanda exclaimed.

"Hate to interrupt, but I need to talk to you guys." I said.

"You! What are you doing here?!" Pietro said.

"Uhmm... standing?" I said, slightly confused by the question. I mean did he really think I was just going to let them go after he tried to kill me, and Apocalypse gave him a second mutation.

"It's okay Pitero. We're at America they brought us here after we fought." Wanda said.

" America? How long was I asleep?" He asked.

" Just a few hours. I used a portal." I said.

His eyes shot back to me, and boy was he not in a good mood. "I wasn't talking to you!" He snarled.

He suddenly tried to do something, but grew confused a few moments later. " My powers? Why aren't they working?"

" It's because of him." Wanda said, ratting me out.

"It's for everybody's safety. You guys were colluding with a known terrorist. One that you helped break-out of prison. You're lucky I haven't turned you in yet." I said, matter of factly.

They both gulped probably recognizing how much trouble they were in.

" What do you want with us? I assume you haven't for a reason. " Wanda said.

" You assume correctly. I know why you guys joined up with Magneto and Apocalypse, and I also know who you're after." I said.

" So, you're doing all of this to protect your Avenger buddy? Why? Afraid we're going to escape and he'll get what's coming his way." Pietro said.

" Why would you protect that monster?! He killed our parents, destroyed our lives, if it weren't for him...I.. we.. " Wanda said, trying to hold back her tears.

"Tony Stark never killed your parents- people stole Stark's technology and Obadiah Stane sold his inventions off before he shut down the weapons manufacturers. He isn't blameless, but at the same time he isn't the one personally responsible for their deaths." I said l, as I threw them a file I had compiled for this moment.

" It was his name who was written on that bomb. We were trapped for days under the rubble, waiting for it to kill us. " Wanda refuted.

" Regardless of who sold it to who, Stark was still the one who developed that technology, and invented those weapons.Weapons whose sole function was to destroy things. To explode. To kill people. And that's why we hate him." Pietro said

"I see your point, and I somewhat agree. Tony is an arrogant prick. And, had he stayed that way you would have been justified in your revenge. But, you have to keep in mind. Since then things have changed." Pietro snorted at my words.

" I was there at the battle of New York. Tony personally put his life on the line and was prepared to sacrifice himself to save millions of people. I might not like him, but I respect him." I said.

"You mean after he'd been kidnapped and personally hurt by the types of nefarious goons who'd been causing havoc with his weapons for years by that point. It was only after he himself suffered from the repercussions of his actions that he decided to take full responsibility for them. The question of how much he knew and when he knew it is almost irrelevant in how it pertains to us. Because the simple fact is, he didn't care to know. He never even thought to look into it. He just buried his head in the sand and continued to create more and more dangerous devices while carelessly assuming that none were finding their way into hands they shouldn't be in." Wanda said.

I sighed. Seeing as I was getting nowhere with this, I decided to use my final card. " You know, Tony's parents were killed when he was younger. Hydra sent an assassin after their heads, and they were killed on their way home. Only he thinks it's an accident and has no one to blame but himself."

They both grew silent at that, and judging by their looks I had their undivided attention.

" There's a fine line between revenge, and justice. You want to get justice fine by me, but at the end of the day killing him won't bring back your parents." I said.

I left them both to stew on that fact, while I left to take care of the mess Magneto's latest stunt left us.

Wanda was too much of an amateur at magic to even attempt and break the sealing runes I placed on her, while Pietro was just as stuck having no magic of his own.

I opened a portal to limbo, specifically to a dungeon underneath the castle I had claimed after I defeated Belasco. I took my unlucky passenger with me, since it wasn't wise to delay.

Apocalypse was a hard bastard to kill, and unless I planned on having Jean excute him using her Phoenix fire, doing what the ancients did seemed as good idea as any.

" So, I take it this isn't what you had in mind when you woke up this century? " I said.

Apocalypse was currently restrained by about a few dozen runic arrays and stuck in the middle of a tomb. I had made especially for him. Apocalypse was powerful alright, but he didn't have any magical powers, which is how I reckon he was defeated and sealed 5000 years ago.

Being mutant Jesus I don't think he ever bothered to learn. Or more accurately I don't think anyone was willing to teach him magic.

I briefly considered throwing him into the sun, but ran into some logistical issues. Like the fact even if I managed a portal to the sun, the heat and gravity was just as likely to harm me as soon as I opened the portal.

I mean I could potentially shrugg it off like I do most things, but I didn't have a death wish.

How Thor managed it though was another thing all on its own, probably a combination of bullshit divine magical powers and his Asgardian physique.

I was taken out of my thoughts when I felt Apocalypse straining against his bindings.

I didn't want to disappoint him, and tell him it was useless. Since I don't think he'll appreciate the fact I tied the runes to my own life force to keep them intact.

I basically ended up pulling an Odin, but on a lesser scale. Since, Hella had an actual divinity and couldn't be compared to the blueman reject I had stashed in the dungeons.

So far, I've sealed an evil demon sorcerer and probably the first mutant to walk the earth.

From one perspective it almost seemed like I was starting some kind of fucked up collection.

More like trouble waiting to happen, if you ask me.

I should really find a weapon that can put down immortal beings for good.

Maybe I should ask the Ancient one if that sword Dragonfang can do the trick. Last time I saw it, she had it on display in one of the showrooms back at the sanctum.

(Chapter End)

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