512. Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
After leaving the Alliance Tower, Alex and his companions set out for Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
To resolve the situation with Wolverine, it was necessary to have a face-to-face conversation. Additionally, Alex was curious to see how far the current X-n had progressed in their work.
While Alex could have used teleportation magic to go there directly, he wasn't in a particular rush. Besides, he wanted to witness the changes in the wasteland firsthand. So, the group borrowed a Jeep and headed to the school.
The location of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters hadn't changed; it was still in the sa place, on the outskirts of New York. It wasn't far from the Alliance Tower, and the drive took just over two hours.
To be honest, Alex initially thought Logan would choose a different location to rebuild the school. After all, the old X-n mansion was a painful mory for him.
Back in the day, under the influence of Mysterio, Wolverine slaughtered all the X-n, even harming so of the students attending classes there. For Logan, this was an unshakable burden of guilt.
If not for this, Logan wouldn't have kept his claws retracted for over forty years.
However, now that Logan dared to return to this place and start anew, it seed he was gradually moving past his trauma. Even if so part of his heart still harbored regret, things were heading in a better direction.
As they drove from the city center to the suburbs, their Jeep, with its Alliance-issued license plate, faced no interruptions. In fact, so patrol officers saluted them along the way.
Looking at the scenery outside the window, Alex let out a soft sigh.
"What's wrong?" Kara asked, noticing Alex's expression.
"Nothing, I'm just feeling a bit emotional. We've left the city center now, and look at the road. It's full of potholes. There are still many collapsed buildings and ruins that haven't been cleared," Alex said, pointing toward the distant rubble.
"There's nothing that can be done about it. For the wasteland, food is the top priority. I heard that Luthor previously wanted to organize refugees to clear the ruins, but this proposal was rejected in the council," Kara explained.
"Rejected? Why?" Alex asked, curious.
"Because it's not worth it. Without transportation vehicles or excavators, how many people and how much ti would it take to clear those ruins by hand? The Alliance doesn't have the resources to feed that many people. It's better to have them focus on reclaiming farmland," Kara replied.
Hearing this, Alex nodded thoughtfully.
Indeed, progress must be made step by step. Without a stable food supply, the wasteland was like a rusty gear—it couldn't function properly.
"The problem is that food takes ti to grow. No matter how well it's planted, it still needs ti to mature. Otherwise, the wasteland wouldn't be facing such trouble," Kara said. "I have a feeling that once the food shortage is solved, the wasteland's developnt will take off rapidly."
"You know, I might have an idea," Pietro interjected suddenly.
"I've been aning to say this. Alex, you can travel between dinsions, right? If we can't ask other planets for resources, surely asking for help from parallel universes wouldn't violate any taboos?" Pietro suggested.
Hearing Pietro's words, Alex fell silent, seemingly considering the feasibility of this idea.
The wasteland's most urgent need was food. Winter was approaching, and without enough to eat, many people would inevitably perish. While Luthor didn't want this to happen, it was an unavoidable reality.
If they could make it through this winter, once the first batch of crops was harvested, the wasteland would begin to flourish again.
With dawn approaching, Alex didn't want anyone to die before the break of day.
After a mont's pause, Alex finally spoke. "I'll think of a way. For now, don't tell anyone else about this."
Seeing that Alex seed to have a plan, Pietro smiled. No one understood better than him the pain of hunger. If possible, Pietro wished for everyone to be well-fed and comfortable.
While the idea sounded simple, the execution was difficult. Establishing trade with another universe wasn't an easy task. Alex initially considered visiting a universe on the brink of destruction to scavenge resources.
After all, the multiverse surrounding the wasteland's universe was practically a dumping ground, full of collapsing universes. Finding one shouldn't be an issue.
Moreover, in those dying universes, the inhabitants likely wouldn't need their resources anymore. It made sense to take them and use them to save more lives in the wasteland.
However, after so thought, Alex dismissed the idea.
There were too many collapsing multiverses, each with its own set of challenges. Finding a large amount of resources in such places wouldn't be as easy as Alex had imagined.
If he took too much, it would be hard to transport. If he took too little, it would be a drop in the bucket for the wasteland. Worse, if he stumbled into a place like the Zombie Hero Universe, he couldn't risk bringing any food or supplies back.
To find a suitable trade partner, Alex would need to think this through carefully.
As Alex was contemplating the specifics of his plans, Ashley had already driven the car through the gates of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters.
After parking, Pietro was the first to jump out, curiously observing his surroundings.
"Not bad! Looks like the reconstruction work here is pretty solid. Look at these houses and the floors; they're no different from the old X-President's mansion... except for a few missing fountains."
This was everyone's first visit to the Xavier School. Pietro, however, had been to a similar location before, the one he and Alex had visited during their last stop in the Wasteland Universe.
"It seems Logan and Emma have managed this place quite well. Last ti I was here, it was nothing but ruins."
Returning to the familiar X-n base filled Alex with a complex mix of emotions. It was here that he had once absorbed the Shadow King and a fragnt of the Phoenix Force. At that ti, the place had been in complete disrepair. He'd even fought a spectral version of the X-n here. Thinking back, ti had flown by—he'd accomplished so much since then.
"You've been here before?" Kara asked curiously. "When was that?"
"It was back when you guys accompanied Barton to deal with Baron Zemo. I ca here to take care of a threat—the Shadow King, a guy with subpar abilities but incredibly tricky to deal with," Alex replied casually, not bothering to hide the details.
Unlike Kara, Pietro's attention was drawn to sothing else entirely.
"Emma? Which Emma?"
"Emma Frost, the White Queen. Don't you know her?" Ashley replied, puzzled as to why Pietro seed so startled.
But Alex caught the nuance and subtly smiled. Among those present, he was the only one who understood Pietro's sudden reaction.
"Ahem, Alex, can we talk?" Pietro rubbed his hands awkwardly and sidled up to Alex.
After spending so much ti together, everyone was familiar with each other's quirks. Without Pietro saying a word, Alex already knew what was on his mind. Taking his hat off, Alex placed it on Pietro's head. As green flas flickered, the hat transford into goggles the mont they touched Pietro's silver hair.
After doing this, Alex smiled. "It's yours now. Take good care of it."
"Really?!" Pietro touched the goggles on his head, his face lighting up with joy.
"Yeah. It doesn't serve much purpose for anymore, so you might as well keep it. Besides, it's probably best if you don't let others know what's in your head," Alex said nonchalantly.
Kara and Ashley exchanged puzzled glances, not understanding the cryptic exchange between Alex and Pietro.
Neither Kara nor Ashley was aware of the origins or function of this now-goggles-forrly-hat item. It was sothing Pietro had helped Alex steal from the Next Generation Orphanage back in the Wasteland Universe—the Black King's helt, an artifact specifically designed to block telepathic abilities.
Clearly, Emma had left a lasting impression on Pietro. Even now, just hearing "White Queen" or "Emma" was enough to make his legs go weak.
But who could bla him? Having grown up under the oppressive reign of the X-President, telepaths had beco Pietro's childhood nightmare. Adding to that the ti he nearly died in the orphanage's underground tunnels, it was no wonder Emma Frost remained a haunting mory.
While they were chatting, a crowd inside the school had already noticed them. Several small heads peeked out from the windows, curiously watching the four visitors outside.
So of the older mutants had recognized Quicksilver, the Venom Lady, and Supergirl. These figures had beco quite famous in the Wasteland, admired by many as role models.
It was no surprise. After gaining superpowers, which mutant wouldn't dream of becoming a superhero? They all aspired to emulate groups like the Justice League or the Avengers, contributing to society and finding their purpose.
This mindset was a stark contrast to that of the universe dominated by The Boys.
Before long, the school's gates opened, and Wolverine erged first. Behind him was soone the group didn't expect to see—Raven.
"Rachel, what are you doing here? I thought you were the guardian mage of the New York Sanctum?" Kara asked excitedly, rushing up to greet her friend.
Smiling, Raven glanced at the children behind her and replied, "The reconstruction of the New York Sanctum won't start until next spring. In the anti, I've taken a teaching position here. Spending ti with these kids has been nice."
As she spoke, Raven turned her attention to Alex.
"Long ti no see, Mr. Alex."
.....
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