"You've made the right choice," Magneto spoke, looking on at Remy LeBeau. The X-Man's staff bent once more into it's original--well, for the most part--shape, releasing him.

"Y'don' gotta tell me twice, Mon Ami," Gambit replied, his trademark grin upon his face. "De Professor's dream didn' work, an' now it's time t'embrace de new one. Yours. I see dat now. An' wit' my help, maybe members o'de X-Men'll see it, too."

"Perhaps, Gambit." Magneto turned, "But perhaps not. I believe my own personal army to be formed. You are simply a piece, and I do not believe I need many others."

"Army?"

"A topic for later discussion," Magneto said boldly. "Do not defy me, Gambit. I have granted you this one chance simply because it has been in my plans for some time."

Since Antarctica, Magneto thought. He then spoke aloud, "I shall return shortly --- I have someone to deal with at the moment."

LeBeau replied with a nod, and waited for Magneto to take his leave...

...Just as Quicksilver prepared for Magneto to make his entrance. Magneto entered the room, commanding Pietro's restraints to bend around him, so that his son would fall to the ground. He did just that, and glared up at his father.

He couldn't move.

"The iron in your blood," Magneto said flatly. "Why have you come here, my son?"

"Call. Me. Quicksilver."

Erik looked down, as if considering it. "Very well. Why have you come here? Associating with a former thief, and murderer?"

"Gambit is an X-Man, Magneto," Quicksilver said harshly, "The only murderer I've associated with in a long time is you. And thank God those days are long behind me."

"You are so blind, Pietro. Do you not see the endless possibilities of this place? The future of--"

"--I do, Magneto. But then I look at who rules here. You. It causes me to completely forget this nation's potential."

Glaring at his son, Magneto lets out a sigh. "Perhaps you think that mercy will be shown. You are a trespasser, and I do not take kindly to that. You will be judged as if you were any other."

"How could I expect mercy to be shown from a monster? You aren't capable of it!!"

"..You are correct."

LeBeau leapt upward, propelling himself into an air duct. He made his way through it quickly, being as cautious as he could. Within moments, he found himself glaring down at the stone. Although it shared the previous stone's structure, the color was different. Instead of silver, it was crimson.

With a swift kick, the vent unhinged and flew towards the ground. LeBeau flipped from the duct, and caught the metal piece before it hit the ground to alert anyone.

The crimson stone was encased, glass all around it. As far as Remy could tell, there were no doors in this room, which left him confused. He didn't have the time to think much more of it, so he acted quickly --- doing a flip in the case's direction. Once he was before it, he pulled a small glass cutter from his sleeve.

Within ten seconds, it was in his possession.

LeBeau's ego flared. Here he was, in the middle of Magneto's citadel, stealing something the X-Men's arch-enemy wanted. Remembering Tante Mattie's warnings, the actions quickly came to a stop. Too much was at risk for a little leisure.

Ten more seconds pass, and Gambit finds himself inside the air ducts once more. I guess Magneto figures nobody's stupid enough t'try an' steal somethin' from 'em.. d'at must be why he keeps everything so ... accessible.

"I am going to give you a chance, Pietro," Erik's words came swiftly, "Join me and live amongst a society which will be glorious. One which mutants will thrive. A Haven....Or die."

"I want no part in a society where humankind is butchered simply because of a lack of the x-factor gene, Magneto. You are no better than the bigots which strive for mutant extermination. You're a madman!!"

"I've tried many times to let reality seep into your brain. I will make this offer never again. You are a fool, just as Charles was."

"You--!"

Just as Quicksilver's blood began to boil from rage, a charged vent slammed into the Master of Magnetism. "Gambit?! I should have trusted my senses--!"

"Yah, but ya didn', did ya?! Welcome to de consequences!" Gambit spoke, doing a flip over to Magneto, who had only just begun to stand. He quickly remedied that with a swift kick, sending the foe to the ground once more.

"Once upon a time, Magneto," Gambit spoke, "I fought a man who I thought was you.. An' I picked up a few t'ings.."

"I presume you mean my pathetic carbon copy Joseph, X-Man!" Magneto glared, "Let me introduce you to the real force that is Magneto.. Let me show you why I am feared by nations!"

Gambit's eyes went wide as he was suddenly suspended mid-air, and then slammed against a wall.

And as the air in Remy LeBeau's lungs gushes out, he learns that it doesn't take long for a man to stop breathing --- especially when the cause is Magneto's awesome power.

Luckily for our favorite X-Man, Quicksilver is faster. Thank you for focusing your power on Gambit, Father-- because it is just the momentum I needed -- TO DO THIS!

With amazing speed, Pietro Maximoff slammed into his biological father, sending the two men crashing through the wall. As rubble from the room divider began to settle, Gambit stood, holding his head with a slight wheeze. "Definately gonna feel d'at one," he mumbled to himself.

As an X-Man and a Thief, Remy LeBeau learned long ago that there's no time to take a breather..

..So he charges back into the battle. Before him is quite the sight.

Magneto, perhaps the X-Men's most lethal foe.

Quicksilver, his teammate in the X-Men.

In a winner-takes-all battle.

Charging his staff, Gambit leapt in, slamming it down hard on Magneto.

"Fools!" Lehnsherr snarled, a magnetic shield expanding around him --- knocking the two X-Men back. "You stand no chance against me!"

Quicksilver raised a gun, "Don't we?"

"You are a fool to believe that a simple gun could stop me, Quicksilver. You should be smarter than that, based on the simple fact that you are my son." With that, the gun floated directly to Magneto, and he gripped it.

The magnetic energy which had served Magneto suddenly turned against him, shooting into his body, beyond his control. The Master of Magnetism fell to the ground like a helpless child.

Gambit simply glanced to Quicksilver, a confused look upon his face. "What de?"

"Not long ago," he began to explain, "I had an encounter with Joseph. Along with that encounter, I met Sabra --- the woman bent on my father's destruction. Along with Joseph, she'd developed several weapons --- that being one of them."

"How'd ya hide it so long? An' ya didn't even bother t'tell me?"

"Magneto's magnetic charges triggered the molecules in the weapon, causing it to expand. I was beginning to think it wasn't going to. But we don't have much time."

"Yer right. I got de stone," Gambit spoke, "It's in de other room."

"Get it. We have to go."

Within the next few moments, Gambit found himself in the other room, the stone in his hand. Just as he was leaving, however, he noticed something.

A helmet, along with some armor, hanging as if it were to be showcased on the wall.

The armor was that of Eric the Red's.

"Gambit?"

"Yah.. I'm comin'," He spoke in a low tone, making his way back to Quicksilver. He glanced to the body of Magneto, which was beginning to stir. "I'll be back," he vowed, enraged at the new suspicions.

He finally knew who had given him his Trial.. and he would make sure that Magneto would pay.

An illegal flight, three drinks, a country, and a day later...

"Two stones, Tante," Gambit spoke, "I don' know how much more o'dis I can take."

"Ten more, d'at's how many y'can take," The old woman replied, "You know damn well ya gotta do dis, Remy. Unless ya are ready to come down here an' lead de guild."

"Don' think so, Tante," Gambit smiled, "I know I gotta do it.. I have to." He sighed, looking through a window into the room near the two. On the bed was Remy's adoptive father, one of the few men he'd ever really trusted with his life. "He'd do it for me.."

With that, there was nothing more that Tante Mattie could say.

She could only smile.

Genosha

Magneto snarled as he entered the room that formerly held the stone. Part of his pride had been taken that day. He had fallen to two X-Men. Something he would make sure would never happen again. Whatever that weapon had been, it had stunned even him. He hadn't anticipated it. He would have some investigating to do.

He had lost this battle, but he would win the war.

And he had every intention of Gambit being one of the casualities --- now more than ever.