Jubilee was there to help, or rather, Logan had told her that if she wanted to help, she should come find him and the others.
Peter and Cindy exchanged glances, understanding what Logan likely meant. In the upcoming battle against Weapon X, Peter's role was essentially that of a "patient," and Cindy's that of a "caretaker." In other words, they weren't truly meant to participate in the fighting, especially with Peter's unstable abilities, where sometimes his actions could inadvertently harm others.
Furthermore, Cyclops was already summoning the X-Men. He had deemed the entire situation as the first mission for the rebuilt X-Men, so there was even less need for Peter and Cindy. At a time like this, Logan sending Jubilee over clearly indicated that he didn't want her getting involved, preferring her to stay safely in the "kids' group."
Cindy looked at Peter, then pulled up her face mask, a gesture that seemed to express "strangers keep out." It also implied that Peter should be the one to communicate with the others. Whether Peter told Jubilee the truth or coaxed her into staying out of danger was up to him. As for Cindy, she had no opinion on the matter.
"Uh... he said, yes, we're helping them, but just helping."
Peter decided to mediate: "We have a bit of a situation here. Logan and the others are going to fight bad guys, and it will be very dangerous. He won't let us directly join the battle, but we can help from the sidelines."
"But you're Spider-Man, you're an Avenger."
Compared to others, Peter, officially announced as an Avenger, was indeed more convincing as a superhero. But Peter just shrugged: "My superpowers have some issues, so the X-Men are helping me solve them, that's all."
"If you want to help, if you want to do something, you first have to train yourself not to cause trouble for others. Same for me; I at least... learned how to use my abilities without hurting others and how to protect myself before I decided to help."
Peter was about to say more, but he heard the familiar roar of a Quinjet's engines.
The rest of the X-Men had arrived.
Cyclops stood on the skyscraper's helipad with Wolverine and Beast, watching the Quinjet land. First out was Iceman. The moment the door opened, he joyfully created an ice slide with his hands and glided in front of Cyclops. Behind him was Colossus, who, to combat a hereditary organ failure, had to maintain his full steel form most of the time. This burly Russian politely nodded to the passengers on the plane and thanked them.
"I knew you'd come, Bobby." Cyclops smiled and hugged Iceman, a fellow original X-Man. Then he shook hands with Colossus, who walked over: "Thanks for coming, Rasputin."
"Professor once gave me a home, Scott."
The two joined the team, and Beast smiled as he handed them their new uniforms. Finally, a mutant who wasn't an X-Man disembarked the plane: Emma Frost. Cyclops's smile tightened into a polite one as he walked towards her.
Logan curiously asked Beast, "Who's that woman?"
"Emma Frost, headmistress of the Massachusetts Academy, a major shareholder in the Hellfire Club, and a telepath," Beast said unhurriedly. "Scott believes her joining the X-Men would be very useful."
"A telepath, huh?" Logan sneered, not at all surprised. It seemed Cyclops had a particular fondness for telepaths. Professor Xavier was like a father figure to him, and Jean Grey was his lover. Now, this new blonde was another telepath.
"It seems you're not planning to sell the Xavier Academy to me, Scott." Emma smiled, shaking Cyclops's hand. "And you've invited me all the way to Madripoor to show me your X-Men."
"Not to show you, Ms. Frost. On the contrary, what I want to tell you is that over the next two days, the Worthington Group will launch a merger and acquisition of your academy. If successful, all teachers, students, and educational resources of the Massachusetts Academy will be integrated into the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."
Cyclops gripped Emma's hand, revealing his true purpose: "If you want Xavier's School, I can give it to you, but not to the Hellfire Club, and not to Sebastian Shaw. If you truly want to become the next Professor, then prove it to me."
For the first time, Emma Frost observed this man with keen interest. Unlike his previous decadent and powerless demeanor, he seemed to have found an opponent, transforming into a true leader.
"I'm afraid you've got one thing wrong," Emma laughed. "I've never been Sebastian's subordinate. Hellfire Club members use chess pieces as code names; only the Queen and King are the club's leaders. And who the leaders are determines what the Hellfire Club does. He is the Black King, and I am the White Queen; we ride side by side. But if... there could be a White King standing beside the White Queen, then the Hellfire Club would be theirs."
"I accept your merger proposal, Mr. Scott Summers. The question is, can you accept my invitation?"
Scott didn't hesitate for long. He broke into a bright smile, gripping Emma Frost's hand tightly: "Welcome to the X-Men, Emma. Are you ready for your first battle?"
At Weapon X's temporary base, a container stood before everyone. Mister Sinister, disguised as Ajax, watched as X-23 used her claws to slice through enormous chains. The container doors slid open naturally, releasing chilling cold air. As the mist cleared, everyone saw what was sealed inside: it appeared to be a person, naked and encased in a massive block of ice.
"What's this, a mutant?" Daken asked. Mister Sinister shook his head in disbelief.
"No, this is a legend, a legend everyone thought was dead. If he had remained alive, that kid wouldn't even be called by that name. I can't believe Hydra, Hydra actually kept this?"
He gestured for X-23 to puncture a hole in the ice. As air rushed in, the man's skin began to burn. Then, the intense heat melted the surrounding ice. The man rose from the meltwater, his eyes devoid of any spirit, simply gazing at the Weapon X members before him, awaiting orders.
Mister Sinister smiled. He truly hadn't expected Hydra to be able to transform their mortal enemy into their own weapon.
"Everyone, meet Jim Hammond, the real Human Torch!"
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