After Peter returned, he enjoyed a few days of peace before heading to Genosha once again. This was already his third visit to the island nation, and this time it was regarding the Master Mold Sentinels; the Avengers needed to have a talk with Magneto.
It wasn't a request for Magneto to hand over the Master Mold, but rather to determine if anyone else in the world possessed a sufficient understanding of it. That left only Magneto, who spent his idle days effectively using it as a plaything. They needed to confirm whether Nimrod had any way to manufacture a Master Mold other than by staging a robbery in Genosha.
Magneto's answer was definitive. Inside his study, he flipped through a book as he addressed Peter's question.
"I can be certain that I completely destroyed all of Trask Industries' mainframes containing the Master Mold designs back then. Unlike ordinary Sentinel robots, the design program for a Master Mold is..."
"Forgive me, Mr. Lehnsherr, but if Nimrod possesses a Master Mold in the future, then he has definitely already obtained the design data," Peter reminded him.
Magneto nodded. "My apologies, that was an oversight on my part. So, what you are truly asking is whether he has other means to create one?"
"Yes."
"First, activating a Master Mold requires immense power; therefore, they must design a nuclear reactor and the associated containment shielding for it. This was quite a troublesome matter years ago, but things are different now." Magneto spoke pointedly. "Modern nuclear reactors can be made sufficiently small and safe, so we can temporarily set aside the energy constraint."
He was naturally referring to Arc Reactor technology, but not just Tony Stark's. After all, beyond Stark Industries, Russia's Crimson Dynamo had also adopted related technology. Even if what they possessed was the outdated version Anton Vanko had taken from Howard Stark last century, it was still functional. Being slightly behind didn't matter; it worked.
"And what about the rest?"
"The essence of a Master Mold is a massive Sentinel robot, serving as both a manufacturing plant and a command hub. This means it must possess powerful electromagnetic signal transmission capabilities." Magneto explained the second impracticality of building one in secret. "The moment such a high-intensity electromagnetic pulse occurs, I would be able to sense it instantly. Without a doubt, that is also impossible."
Seeing Magneto's supreme confidence, Peter didn't know whether to feel relieved or not—likely the latter. He was about to ask more when he was suddenly interrupted. Magneto's phone rang, and after answering, he looked at Peter with a slight expression of surprise. "Spider-Man, regarding Nimrod, we may have a new lead."
"Uh, what is it?"
"Nathaniel Essex. The man says he is being hunted by Nimrod and has come to Genosha seeking asylum."
Peter's brain stalled for a few seconds.
Mister Sinister coming to Genosha for asylum? Are you even a mutant! You're seeking asylum?
A few minutes later, when they saw Mister Sinister in Genosha's reception room, the man looked at Magneto and Spider-Man with a cheerful grin.
"My, my, Spider-Man. I truly did not expect to see you again in Genosha. It seems Genosha's attitude toward non-mutants is quite hospitable after all. Excellent, excellent."
Nathaniel seemed completely unbothered by the fact that he was being monitored by the two of them. He simply crossed his legs leisurely and looked at Magneto. "Lehnsherr, perhaps we should talk? You must realize that a terrifying enemy is currently threatening the safety of our fellow mutants."
"The safety of our fellow mutants?" Magneto looked as if he had just heard the world's greatest joke. "You consider yourself a mutant?"
"Look, the mutant X-gene detectors all state that I am a perfectly legal and legitimate mutant." Nathaniel smiled at Magneto. "How could I not be considered one?"
"You are nothing more than a distorted laboratory freak! Both mutants and humans are far more noble than you!" Magneto glared at him. "You'd best start talking about Nimrod. At least that way, you might earn yourself a spot in a Genoshan prison."
"Very well, very well, even a prison is better than the alternative. How shall I put this... since I last 'acquired' the final Gene-Clipper from you, I have been researching even more powerful mutants. Don't misunderstand, my motives aren't exactly evil."
A faint smirk played on Sinister's lips. "My goal has been the same from the very beginning. I need to create a mutant powerful enough to defeat another, far more terrifying mutant. I told the X-Men this the first time I met them. They simply have no trust in science."
"And in reality, that ultimate mutant you wish to create is yourself," Magneto snorted. "A monster."
"Fine, fine, let us skip that part. In short, while I was in the middle of my research, my laboratory's network was breached. Terrifying, isn't it? Yes, quite. You must understand that I was storing and transmitting data through the Pentagon's highest-level security network, yet that still didn't stop a mysterious entity from hijacking my entire system. Then, that fellow named Nimrod appeared."
"He began investigating all the mutant genomes left in the Gene-Clipper. You should thank me; before Nimrod could fully seize control of the machinery, I completely destroyed the genetic samples of a large group of Super-Mutants, including Rogue, Leech, and Jean Grey. I successfully delayed the extinction of the mutant race! Don't I deserve some sort of reward?"
Magneto stared at Sinister with cold indifference. Sinister merely shrugged helplessly.
"Anyway, uh, then people came to seize me. A swarm of new Sentinels, only the size of normal humans but with weaponry that iterates incredibly fast. They also call themselves Nimrod, and they killed nearly seventy percent of my clones in a very short time. That number is still dropping. Therefore, I needed someone capable of protecting me from the Sentinels, and I thought of you! The Great Magneto!!!"
Peter listened for a good while. He was certain that the "terrifying mutant" Sinister mentioned wanting to fight was Apocalypse. That raised a question.
In the future of 2029, had Apocalypse been taken out by Nimrod?
So, he put the question to Mister Sinister.
"Do you know what Nimrod's objective is?"
"Aside from the eradication of mutants, do Sentinels have any other purpose?"
Peter pressed further. "Then, that exceptionally powerful mutant you're trying to deal with—could he defeat Nimrod?"
In an instant, Sinister's jaw dropped. He looked at Spider-Man in disbelief and fired back a question of his own.
"Are you planning to release Apocalypse to fight Nimrod?! Have you gone mad!"