Inside the Headmaster's office at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Cyclops, Scott Summers, was submerged in a literal sea of paperwork. Wearing his ruby-quartz sunglasses, he sighed as he reviewed documents, while simultaneously issuing an eviction notice to the uninvited guest in the room: "I've said it many times, Logan. I don't agree. You can't just walk away like this."
"You don't call the shots, One-Eye. I'm definitely leaving."
Cyclops couldn't help but roll his eyes behind his shades. Ever since they returned from Budapest, Logan had indeed been hell-bent on leaving the academy to find the daughter he hadn't even known existed—the one currently being trained into a killing machine by Mr. Sinister. He already had one rebellious son; he didn't want a disobedient daughter to match.
The problem was, Logan wasn't alone. He was the school's physical education and history teacher (despite having absolutely no memories prior to the 1980s), and he had many students to care for. In many ways, this place was his home.
He was torn between both sides.
That was why Cyclops rolled his eyes. Given Logan's personality, if he had truly decided to leave, he would have been gone long ago. Instead, he was hesitating and looking for Scott's support.
Cyclops dearly wished he could support Logan, but the issue was that there were simply too few veteran mutants left at the academy. Most experienced mutants had migrated to Genosha; losing even one would be a massive blow to the school.
So, Cyclops kicked the ball back into Logan's court, letting him decide for himself.
"Headmaster Summers!"
Just as the two were locked in a silent standoff, Shadowcat, Kitty Pryde, phased through the office door without bothering to open it, shouting as she entered. Cyclops sighed helplessly at the sight: "Miss Pryde, no matter what has happened, please don't be so dramatic..."
[Scott, I need you to gather everyone you can find right now and bring them to me.]
Cyclops jumped out of his chair in shock, nearly landing on top of his desk: "Professor?!"
Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast, Iceman, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Storm—who had remained in the U.S. following a visit with her husband—as well as Angel, who had retired from the X-Men but still provided support, and the White Queen, whom the Professor deemed trustworthy. Every member of the X-Men's main team had gathered in a room deep beneath the academy, adjacent to the Cerebro chamber.
The Professor's comatose body lay there, and in this place, Kitty could clearly sense an intensification of his brain activity.
[I am glad to see you, my children.] Despite the absence of a few familiar faces, the Professor looked upon his students with great relief. Their actions proved that his choice had not been wrong; even after his "death," they continued to carry on his mission.
Cyclops stood there grinning foolishly for a moment before urgently asking, "Professor, when will you be able to wake up?"
"Regrettably, I have tried, but I am currently unable to awaken the version of myself belonging to this era. It may truly be that I cannot wake up until 2029." The Professor first dampened their spirits with this cold reality before moving on to serious business: "However, here, my abilities can be amplified through my brain, allowing me to communicate with you directly."
"I am sending you the most dire of warnings from the future. My X-Men, you must stand united if you are to have any hope of opposing the unprecedented enemy we are about to face."
Then, terrifying visions appeared in everyone's minds. They all saw the horrific scenes from the future: the Sentinels had divided humanity into three classes and imprisoned them in different concentration camps. Humans deemed to have no potential for mutation were allowed to breed within the camps; those considered to possess the X-gene or the potential for mutation were forbidden from reproducing and were instead converted into small, half-man, half-machine Sentinels.
Finally, there were the mutants. They were thrown into the most horrific concentration camps, subjected to various inhumane experiments, and ultimately exterminated.
The Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men had all fought back, but they had failed. The Professor extracted combat footage from the minds of the 2029 versions of Peter and Logan. They watched with grim expressions as the Sentinels killed them as easily as if they were crushing toys.
The Sentinels had even thwarted the X-Men's attempts to reverse the future. Bishop, the X-Man sent back to the present, was the proof. His mind had been sealed by Cyclops at the request of the newly awakened Professor, specifically to prevent the telepathic Nimrod from discovering their entire plan.
Who would have thought that Bishop would end up unconscious for nearly two months after being sent back?
"After our discussion concludes, please bring him to me. He may be of help."
After finishing his explanation, the Professor looked at everyone. Having seen the entirety of history, Cyclops briefly summarized their next steps: "We need to protect Senator Kelly, right? Ideally, we should also persuade him to abandon the Mutant Registration Act, and we must watch out for the Brotherhood of Mutants led by Mystique."
"Yes, Scott. That is what the X-Men must do for now. The Avengers will assist us from other angles. I will have Kitty take Spider-Man to Genosha to speak with Erik in person. I hope we can reach an agreement with him there."
Magneto was a necessary party to negotiate with. After all, what Magneto wanted most right now was a war between humans and mutants to showcase his power to the world. But the problem was that Magneto never considered the possibility that he might lose—one of the complications that led to that extreme future.
"Beyond that, you must be especially wary of Nimrod, who has come from the future. He will certainly not sit idly by while you attempt to change the timeline. You must stay vigilant; he is more terrifying than you can imagine."
"Emma is a partner we can trust, Scott. You will need to grant her access to Cerebro. We need more help—as many capable allies as possible." The Professor finally relayed this to Cyclops, who let out a sigh. After a brief pause, Scott led the group away.
However, the Professor's consciousness did not leave Cyclops's mind, for he knew exactly what Scott intended to ask.
"Professor... Jean... is Jean still alive?"
After a long silence, the Professor gave Cyclops the news that was anything but good.
"I am not certain, Scott. But what I can tell you is that Jean was consumed by her own flames in order to protect us. It may be that she is truly gone."
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi