Xavier Institute
The sun had barely risen over the gardens of the Xavier Institute when Jean exited her first class of the day, still sorting through her students’ questions... until she heard Charles’ familiar voice in her mind:
’Jean, please co to my office.’
A few minutes later, she gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Professor... Has Magneto already left?" she asked directly.
The night before, the two old friends had had a long closed-door conversation. No one else knew what had been discussed, but Jean could sense sothing had changed.
Professor X gave a faint smile, his fingers intertwined atop his mahogany desk.
"He needs ti... but yes, Erik is seriously considering the proposal."
Jean raised her eyebrows. For soone like Magneto to even reconsider sothing, that was practically a miracle.
"The Brotherhood of Mutants shouldn’t be a problem for now," the Professor said, standing up from his chair. "And as of today, the Xavier Institute returns to normal operations. No ergency alerts at the mont."
Jean blinked, surprised.
"So... we’re free to go out?"
"That’s right. If you want to go for a walk, enjoy yourself," Charles replied, as if it were sothing trivial.
Jean frowned. Throughout the week, the professor had always asked everyone to avoid going out, mostly to prevent unwanted attention.
"Are you sure?"
"Jean..." Charles took a deep breath and smiled gently. "I know you don’t want to tell where or from whom those ideas you shared with ca. But whoever that person is... they’ve helped us a lot."
Jean looked away for a second, but didn’t respond.
"I won’t pressure you," he said. "I just want you to thank him for . He’s not just your friend. He’s an ally... to all of us."
Jean smiled, touched by his words. But she couldn’t resist teasing a little:
"Professor, you’re not going to send soone to follow again, right?"
Professor X’s face noticeably tensed.
"...Logan doesn’t want to do it anymore. Apparently, his last visit to your friend’s house left so... scars."
Jean laughed openly.
"Thank you, Professor. I’ll go get ready."
She spun on her heels, walking out with an upbeat stride. Xavier watched her through the window with a thoughtful sigh.
"Why do I have the feeling my little cabbage is about to be harvested...?"
[Author’s note: For those unfamiliar with the Chinese expression, he suspects Jean is about to be ’stolen’ by soone romantically.]
He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought, and returned to his chair.
---
On the other side of the city, a delivery truck parked in front of Arthur’s imposing estate gates.
Arthur stood with arms crossed, waiting.
"Is this the residence of Mr. Morgan?" one of the delivery n asked.
"Yes. You can leave it here."
"We’re from Stark Industries. Please sign here."
Arthur calmly signed and offered to help:
"I’ve prepared a room for this. Follow ."
Four workers carefully unloaded a large tallic crate. When they opened it, they found the contents wrapped in industrial-grade thermal protection.
It was a state-of-the-art 3D printing chamber.
"Whoa..." one of the workers murmured but didn’t dare ask anything. When it cos from Stark Industries, it’s better not to ask questions.
Arthur thanked them all, and after the team left, he entered the equipnt room.
"Ruby, activate the printing chamber."
[Acknowledged, master.]
The chamber lit up with a bluish glow, its internal systems coming to life. A holographic panel appeared in front of Arthur.
"Let’s begin crafting Gwen’s new suit. Use the data collected from her recent fights."
"Keep the color sche... but add these new elents."
"Hmm... Also add a sound system to the suit’s wristbands. That might be useful for handling certain enemies in the future..."
He tweaked a few settings. A satisfied gleam appeared in his eyes.
[Beginning print. Estimated ti: three and a half hours.]
Arthur whistled, impressed.
"Unbelievable... Tony is still as brilliant as ever when it cos to this kind of tech."
With this chamber, Gwen could restore her suit or even adapt it for any situation. A true technological dream.
If so versions of Peter Parker saw this... they’d probably cry with envy.
He was leaving the room when he saw a silhouette swinging through the air, landing gracefully in the garden.
"Gwen?"
She walked toward him, her face downcast.
"My dad wants to stay ho for a few days. He says it might be dangerous out there..."
"I imagine this has to do with what the Lizard said last night."
She nodded.
"Arthur... what if Peter really is lost? What if he hurts soone because I let him keep that serum last night?"
She slumped on the couch, her shoulders drooping.
"I don’t regret giving him the serum. But... what if I have to choose between him and New York?"
Arthur sat beside her.
"Hey, you don’t have to make that choice right now. There’s always another way. There’s always hope."
He pulled her into a tight hug.
"Rember, you’re not alone in this."
"Thank you..."
"Ruby," Arthur said, "what’s the current movent from the Police Departnt?"
[George Stacy assembled a task force. He requested new weapons and equipnt... it seems they’re heading into the sewers in search of Peter Parker.]
Gwen bit her lower lip.
"They have no idea what they’re walking into..."
She was more worried about her father’s safety than anything else. She knew better than anyone that regular bullets wouldn’t even scratch Peter now.
[Their chances of finding Peter Parker are minimal... and the New York sewers are a true labyrinth.]
Ruby’s voice echoed through the system, and in monts, a 3D projection appeared in front of Arthur and Gwen. The city’s underground tunnels unfolded like tangled serpents, crisscrossing for miles, creating a maze more complex than any maximum-security prison.
[If there’s a defined path, I can scan the area based on thermal patterns and movent.]
[But without a clear direction, it’s like looking for a needle in the ocean.]
Still... the AI added.
To ensure George Stacy’s safety, I’ll maintain constant surveillance over the task force’s communications and location.
Arthur crossed his arms, watching the flickering data on the projection.
"Don’t worry, Gwen. Nothing’s going to get out of hand while we’re here."
She looked at him, her eyes shining with relief. On impulse, she leaned in and kissed him deeply.
"Thank you... Arthur."
He didn’t hesitate to return the kiss, pulling her closer as the outside world faded away. With impeccable discretion, Ruby turned off the projection and vanished from the visual system.
Everything indicated that a much more intimate "battle" was about to begin in the middle of that peaceful afternoon...
But just as Arthur was preparing to advance, Ruby’s impassive voice returned, cutting through the mood with surgical precision:
[Master. A guest has just arrived.]
Gwen turned bright red, letting out a small gasp before collapsing back onto the couch, trying to catch her breath.
Arthur frowned.
"Who...?"
He was already ntally preparing to give whoever it was a good scolding for being a buzzkill.
[Jean Grey.]
"Jean?!"
Arthur and Gwen said in unison.
With a leap, Gwen jumped to her feet, suddenly cheerful as if nothing had happened seconds earlier, and ran to the door with a huge smile:
"Jeeaaaan~!"
[End of Chapter.]
Give so power stones there you go~😉
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