Chapter 9: The Magneto Maneuver
The report came in from one of his Finex operatives in Europe. A small, rural town in Poland. A family of four, all of them mutants, all of them dead. The operative's emotional state was a mix of shock and horror, a visceral, gut-wrenching feeling that Adam could feel through his new empathetic powers. He could feel the grief of a father, the terror of a mother, the innocence of two small children, all of it extinguished in a single, brutal act of violence. And at the center of it all, a man, a legend, a monster. Magneto.
"Ah, there he is. The tragic hero. The one with the perpetual sad backstory. It's like a Shakespearean play, but with more metal and more yelling. He loses his family, again, and the world gets a new supervillain. It's a tale as old as time, or at least, as old as comic books. And I get to watch from the sidelines, knowing exactly what's coming next," Adam thought, a strange mix of empathy and detachment filling his mind. He could feel Erik's rage, his pain, his sorrow, but it was just data, another piece of the puzzle, another opportunity to be exploited.
He gathered his inner circle, his lieutenants, in a secure conference room. They were horrified by the news report, their faces pale with a mix of shock and disgust.
"This is it," Adam said, his voice calm, his empathy making his words feel like a warm, reassuring hand on their shoulders. "This is what happens when you're a mutant in this world. This is what happens when you're not strong enough to protect yourself. Erik Lehnsherr… Magneto… is going to rise from the ashes of his grief. He's going to join Apocalypse. He's going to become a weapon."
He laid out his plan. It wasn't about fighting Magneto or Apocalypse. It was about cleaning up the mess they would inevitably make. He would send out a network of Finex operatives to Poland, and later to the sites of Apocalypse's conflict. They would not be there to fight, but to recruit. He would find the disaffected, the scared, the lost. He would offer them a way out, a place to go, a family to belong to. He would offer them a choice.
"We are not heroes. We are not saviors. We are a lifeboat," Adam explained, his voice low and confident. "We will offer protection to those who need it. We will offer resources to those who are lost. And in return, we will ask for their loyalty. We will ask for their strength. We will ask for their power. This isn't about saving the world. It's about building a better one, for us."
He could feel their resolve hardening, their fear turning into a cold, hard determination. He could feel the loyalty in their hearts, the silent promise that they would follow him to the ends of the Earth. He had given them power, he had given them purpose, and now, he was giving them a chance to survive a war that they had no chance of winning on their own.
"He's a good guy. He's a protector. He's a friend. See? I'm the best liar. My own emotions are just another tool in my arsenal. They're just another part of the system. And the system... the system is everything," he thought, a cruel, pragmatic smile on his face.
The plan was simple. Capitalize on the tragedy. Use the chaos as a breeding ground for new recruits. Let the big boys fight their war, and then, when the dust settles, be there to pick up the pieces. He would be there to offer a hand, to offer a choice, to offer a future. He would be the quiet, powerful force that was growing in the shadows, a new player in a dangerous game. And with every recruit, with every new member, with every new asset, he was getting closer to his goal. He was getting closer to a world where he, Adam Stiels, would be the one in charge.
Love [ Xmen Gene Domain ] ? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ Xmen Gene Domain ] with exclusive access to 35+ chapters on my Patreon, plus 5 new chapters every week! Your support starting at just $5/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [Grimm, Teen Wolf ,MCU and Arrowverse].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!