Marvel Comics: The Sentinel(Sentry)

"Are you planning to put me on a dissection table like Stryker did?" The white-haired old man in a restraint suit sat calmly in his all-plastic cell, idly flipping through a newspaper to pass the time...

This was the eleventh underground level of the Umbrella laboratory. The space was a fully enclosed circular area roughly the size of a football field.

Originally built for small-scale biosphere experiments, the project had been shelved due to funding and logistical issues. Sean had repurposed it into a temporary prison for Magneto...

"With the mutant gene database from the Alkali Lake base already in my hands, what use do I have for you?" The young man chuckled lightly.

Truthfully, compared to working with the Professor, he much preferred bringing Magneto to his side.

The bald elder leading the Xavier Institute was shackled by too many moral constraints. Even after glimpsing the future of mutants, he remained unwilling to act decisively.

Magneto, however, was entirely different... he would sacrifice anyone to achieve his goals, even his loyal longtime companion Mystique, whom he had abandoned multiple times.

To the Brotherhood's leader, the future of mutantkind was all that mattered. Everything else was trivial.

This had been Magneto's lifelong pursuit... his early years defined by vengeance, culminating in the murder of Sebastian Shaw with a Nazi coin during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Yet the story didn't end there. Erik Lehnsherr, who loathed Nazis and mad scientists, had unwittingly inherited Shaw's ideology from another angle.

"Did you strike a deal with Charles?" Magneto set down the newspaper.

This young man's appearance had disrupted all his plans. Originally, he had intended to consolidate mutant forces, lie low, and bide his time for the right moment to lead his people to ascendancy. He had even prepared to establish a sovereign nation for mutants, much like Charles' school.

Sean nodded. He and the Professor maintained a certain degree of tacit understanding...

While Magneto's abilities indeed posed a significant threat, killing him would only sow chaos among mutants and provoke hostility from both Xavier and the Brotherhood. Thus, like in the original timeline, imprisonment was the simplest solution.

"A plastic cell isn't enough... you even administer regular inhibitor injections. I've never met a young man quite like you."

Magneto couldn't help but feel disheartened. Buried 130 feet underground in this high-security facility, with an AI-controlled elevator as the only entrance, even an outside rescue attempt would be nearly impossible.

"You're one of the most renowned mutants, master of magnetism, manipulator of metal. If I weren't careful, the one with a headache would be me." Sean spoke plainly.

If Magneto's powers ever advanced to the point of controlling planetary magnetism, escaping this prison would be trivial. Not to mention Mystique was still at large, likely plotting her leader's rescue.

"What I'm curious about is how you convinced that stubborn Charles. Given his temperament, he'd never cooperate with someone like you."

Through the plastic barrier, Magneto studied Sean. The young man's formidable strength was undeniable... he had lost in a direct confrontation, a heavy blow to the proud Brotherhood leader. Aside from a few defeats by Charles, he had rarely encountered true equals.

"I simply showed him the truth. Nothing more." Sean's gaze rested on the white-haired old man, his eyes glinting faintly. "From the Brotherhood members, I learned of your vision for mutantkind. Honestly, are you interested in working with me?"

At this moment, the young man resembled Faust's Mephistopheles... his earnest facade masking icy detachment. Since he intended to wield mutants as a tool, he might as well utilize them efficiently.

"I won't bow to you." Magneto refused without hesitation, "After escaping the camps, I swore never to live in subjugation again. I can be defeated, killed... but I will never kneel to anyone!"

The old man's words rang with conviction, his bearing regal even in captivity.

Sean chuckled. He hadn't expected Magneto to willingly serve him anyway. For the proud, submission was worse than death, much like Tony would rather die from palladium poisoning than relinquish his armor and return to being ordinary.

"I meant an equal partnership." The young man remained patient and unruffled, "In my blueprint for the future, mutants have their place. The Professor will handle public relations with governments, fostering a positive image. But we also need someone to showcase mutant power, a vanguard who takes a hardline stance."

"I thought I'd been sentenced to life imprisonment, doomed to rot here forever." Magneto laughed heartily, masking his inner turmoil.

Who didn't crave freedom? Especially those with grand ambitions. Confining them to a tiny cell, letting time slip meaninglessly away until death arrived, such psychological torture could drive anyone mad.

Sean observed the old man's subtle shifts in expression as understanding dawned. He had no intention of keeping Magneto locked up permanently. This cell was merely a temporary measure.

"I can provide mutants with sovereign land. The distant African continent... ravaged by war and disease, steeped in poverty, fractured by warlords and political instability." The young man's dark eyes bore into the elder, his calm tone carrying immense persuasive power, "You can choose to bring them war... or peace."

The vast underground space fell silent. Magneto lowered his eyelids, pondering before finally speaking: "What do you want in return? There's a Jewish proverb, 'What comes for free is only poverty'. Nothing in this world is free. Tell me the price, and I'll decide if the risk is worth it."

"Mutants are merely the vanguard. That distant continent will one day captivate the world's attention. By then, mutants can formally take the global stage... whether by building a utopia or founding a nation, no one will stand in your way."

Sean's voice took on a prophetic timbre, "I need a force to conquer a hidden kingdom for me."

Seeing Magneto lost in thought, the young man smiled slightly and turned to leave. There was still plenty of time for the Brotherhood's leader to make up his mind.

In the quiet, empty underground space, the restrained Magneto slowly settled back into his seat. He picked up the newspaper but found himself unable to focus on a single article...