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leader, Magneto, one of the most feared men in the world, had then joined them. Almost immediately, Magneto had seen her and Kevin at the edge of the park. Now Trish waited, not breathing, for Magneto to act. She expected pain, some form of swift retribution. Perhaps even death.
    What she did not expect was the way he smiled, and the charming little laugh he gave as he used the magnetic force of the Earth to lift himself from the ground and float toward where she and Kevin stood paralyzed with fear. The two Acolytes, one of whom Trish recognized as a woman named Amelia Voght, followed on foot, obviously awaiting their leader's instructions as to how to deal with the presence of the media.
    "You really got us in it deep, this time, Tilby," Kevin whispered to her through clenched teeth. And she couldn't argue.
    "Well, well," Magneto began, "what have we here?"
    Trish flashed back, for a moment, to old man Gaines, who ran the country store in the small New England town where she'd grown up. Magneto's manner and tone were eerily reminiscent of the pleasant old fellow, long since passed away. Mr. Gaines would smile brightly at her whenever she came in with her Dad. He would pat her on the head and give her a piece of licorice and then, instead of turning to business with her father, he'd spend a few minutes actually conversing with her. She'd never forgotten it, that paternal curiosity and kindness.
    Connecting Magneto with Mr. Gaines made Trish want to puke. But she couldn't help it.
    "I knew it was only a matter of time before some intrepid member of our media tracked me down," Magneto said happily. "With a city as devoted to news and entertainment as New York, you would have thought some of the press would have stuck around to cover the story. But if they're here, they're not looking for an interview."
    The other Acolyte, the cowled man Trish now remembered was called Senyaka, remained with his head slightly bowed. Their friendliness was disarming. Even more so, it was disturbing.
    "Wait just a minute," Magneto said, eyebrows raised. "I've seen you before, haven't I? You are one of the locals, the woman who covers the so-called mutant crisis. Perfect. What was your name again, Ms.—?"
    "Tilby," she said calmly, coldly. She wasn't going to let the man's strength of character overwhelm her. Though she finally understood the expression, "cult of personality."
    "Of course," Magneto said effusively. "Trish, isn't it? Trish Tilby?"
    Trish stared right into the man's face, past the handsome features and the winter white hair, locking her gaze on the blue-gray eyes but ignoring the distinguished way they crinkled into tiny crow's feet at the edges. She pretended not to notice his regal bearing, the almost armor-like quality of the crimson and deep purple uniform he wore.
    "That's right," she answered. "And you are?"

    She heard Kevin's sharp intake of breath behind her as the mutant conqueror's smile disappeared. The warmth leeched from Magneto's face in an instant, like a glaring light that had not been turned off, but burnt out. He licked his lips, and Trish felt the strength of his personality in another way. There was a real, tangible danger in every breath this man drew.
    "And I am?" he asked slowly, no mockery in his tone, but certainly in his manner. "Not amused, to begin with. Not amused at all."
    Trish looked past Magneto to see that Senyaka was glaring at her with hatred for her affront. The red-headed woman, Voght, was shaking her head in bemused astonishment.
    "I had imagined you a relatively intelligent woman, Ms. Tilby," Magneto said. "If Iwas mistaken, perhaps you would care to leave the city immediately. On foot, like the rest of the human cattle whom I have allowed to depart."
    She almost turned around then. Almost ran screaming in terror, the fear of death driving her to take whatever risk was necessary to escape. Though he was not pulling at her physically, Trish could imagine the mental urging that Kevin must have