Flashpoint Mayhem

by TrueHorror88

Another victory for the team, yet someone was unable to celebrate that and chose to make a world-shaking decision. Barry saved his mother from death, changing his past and his present, but it also affected others without him knowing. Seth and his family are just as affected, maybe more. The team faces newer threats, but they're not new to the Lethal Protector. They're threats.

21. Chapter 21: Gifted Youngsters

Hey, you all wonderful readers!

Sorry for having been absent for a while, yet again.

This time was because of a sudden smack in the head by the unfriendly disease no one likes, COVID. Been bedridden for a bit because of that.

Originally planned, this chapter would have been longer, but I chose to cut it in two parts, just to keep things exciting.

Also, I finally got a PS5 and have now fully played Marvel's Spider-Man 2. It was an amazing work by Insomniacs. What do you guys think of it?

Onto some sadder news, the passing of beloved actor Andre Braugher, from Brooklyn Nine-Nine reached my neck of the woods in the world. I watched the show plenty of times, mostly because of the beloved maniac Pimento, but with every episode I watched I grew to love Braugher's portrayal of Captain Ray Holt just as much.

He is loved and will be missed. R.I.P. Andre.

Now to answer some reviews:

guest: Glad to know you loved the chapter, my friend. Interesting. If you have an online site where I can see your drawings, I'd love to see them sometime.

hunter41963801: Glad to hear that, buddy. And yeah, Seth and his crazy family are about to embark on Earth-616. Hope you like the experience.

And on the off chance we don't hear from one another before the New Year of 2024…

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR, GREAT FOLKS!

And now…

Without further ado…

ENJOY!

Chapter 21: Gifted Youngsters

To say that the three Snow-Fury daughters' jaws hit the floor out of shock was without a doubt an understatement, considering how their mouths sprang wide open when they heard their parents' suggestion.

"Are they okay?"

Seth understood why his "other" asked that, the three of them had gaping mouths for several minutes since he and Caitlin said the suggestion.

"I hope so…" Seth waved a hand in front of their faces to get a reaction. "Girls, you three there or did your mind shut off or something?"

Caitlin looked between her daughters, standing still like gargoyle statues. "You'd think they got hit by a Harry Potter spell."

Seth didn't argue with that, seeing his daughters are practically petrified.

Frankie blinked, snapping out of her awkward trance. "Dad, what did you just say?" Her face broke into a big smile as she stated her question.

Chuckling at her enthusiasm, Seth recited. "Your mother and I talked, and we've… We have talked about the five of us going to Earth-616, my home Earth for a little Snow-Fury Family vacation. Sort of."

This time Evelyn broke into a wide smile. "Hell yeah!" She exclaimed like a megaphone, shooting up to her feet. "We're all going to Earth-616! Yahoo!" Whether it was intentional or by accident, she shadowported from her spot and away.

The ferrokinetic groaned. "I'll get the catnips." She informed her parents before moving towards the kitchen to be ready for the next feline beast to abruptly enter their household.

Ruby closed her mouth, groaning to her parents' surprise. "Great, have fun on Earth-616. I'll clean the house and water the plants." Unlike the others, she couldn't go there with her past version still there. The risks are unknown, and the unknown scares her so much.

"First of all, we don't have plants for you to take care of and I doubt you'd ever clean the house. Second of all, you're coming with, Rubs." Seth surprised her.

"Wha- What, Dad?" Ruby questioned. "What do you mean, Dad?"

Leaning forward, Seth stated. "Your Uncle Matt apparently took the initiative and constructed some tools to help mask your identity in the event you wanted you to return to Earth-616, for a short period of course."

Ruby blinked in shock. "What kind of tools?"

"Pack a bag or suitcase, tomorrow we go to S.T.A.R. Labs, and we go on our way." Seth smiled.

His assurance had the gravity manipulator jump off the couch and sprint up the stairs.

Caitlin smiled. "Feels like a lifetime ago since we've seen our daughters so excited, honestly. It feels good after so long."

"Yeah. They're excited." Seth turned in his seat, cupping her hands. "What about you? Are you excited for this trip?"

"I know you want this trip for my sake, and I understand it. You want to get rid of the fear I have of my powers." Caitlin smiled. "I'm really happy you'd go to such lengths for me, Seth. But I don't know if I will lose this fear I have of them. Maybe I will or maybe I won't. But honestly this trip…"

She spoke honestly. "I'm excited to see your old stomping grounds, and I hope this trip can just be about our family this time."

"Absolutely, love." He assured her with a nod.

He still wanted her to learn how to live and use her powers without fear… But the idea of their entire family just having a family trip was also…

Tempting.

X

(S.T.A.R. Labs)

"Wait, you're going to where again?" Barry asked Seth as he and Ruby dropped their bags on the floor. The two of them were the first to arrive, the rest of their family still packing up and would shadowport to the facility when they're done. The gravity manipulator lowered her suitcase to the ground and she turned to the speedster with an eye roll.

"Like we said, we're going to Earth-616 for a bit." Ruby recited.

"Okay, I'll pack my bags and get ready." H.R. announced, moving towards the side lab to pack up. "Gonna be swell."

"Sorry, H.R. but it's the Snow-Furys for this." Seth said, disappointing the Earth-19er. "It's just family on this."

"Ouch." Harrison-19 put a hand to his chest, feigning pain.

Harrison-2 looked at the mutant. "You sure you can't take him with you?" He almost begged for it.

"Oh, lighten up, Harry." Seth said, going into the side lab and opened up several drawers and looked through them all. "Someone's gotta bring some humor to this place, you know."

"That's your reasoning?" Harrison-2 threw back.

"Oh, put a sock in it." Ruby said. "It's not gonna be long and we're just… taking some time off. A Snow-Fury family vacation."

"But…" Barry turned to the mutant roaming through the drawers. "You sure you wanna go… now?"

Cisco scratched his head. "I mean, I gotta agree with Barry on that. It's not exactly a good time to go on a little vacay, you know."

"Good times never show themselves nor do they present themselves randomly, they're made by those with the intent." Seth stated, surprising the others with his words. "And me, that's exactly what I'm gonna do with my family."

"But on another Earth?" Wally questioned.

"Yup." Seth reached into the bottom drawer, roaming around till he came across a black metal box with the name "Stark" on the lid. "Bingo!" He picked it up and stood up. "Ruby, come here. Time to cover your identity and all."

"You never actually explained how that'll happen, Dad." Ruby walked to her father.

"Don't be impatient now." Seth said, opening the box and showing the insides to her. The bottom part of it showed two blank screens while the insides of the upper part held strange nuzzles inside of small glass-like components. "S.H.I.E.L.D. tech to the rescue."

"That's S.H.I.E.L.D. technology?" Harrison asked with piqued interest.

"Yeah, it is." Seth said, turning to his daughter. "Rubs, put your hands on the two screens." He instructed her. Ruby obliged and placed her hands on the screens, a green light from them traveled over the surface of her hands. As they did, the mutant explained. "This device here is made to construct skin-tight plastic that sticks to your hands, allowing you to use other's fingerprints to trick a biometrics scanner. Agents use them a lot to get into black sites and heavily guarded facilities."

Jesse pointed at the box. "You just had important and high tech equipment like that lying around in a drawer?"

"They're programmed to only work with a S.H.I. .- issued identification code." Seth answered. "And this one is already programmed and recognizes my DNA, a mutant DNA." The device chimed, having finished scanning his daughter's hands. "Good, it's done."

"What now?" Ruby asked.

Instead of answering, Seth directed her attention to the glass-like components. Inside of that big case, the nozzles began to move before ejecting paper-thin beams into the middle of it. Ruby watched with awe as the beams quickly constructed thin plastic as her father stated. The construction process took only a single moment before it was finished, both plastic pieces ready for use.

"Press your hands to the glass."

Ruby obliged, pressing both hands to the glass container. Then as though by magnetism or even air pushing the plastic to her, the strange plastic attached to her hands immediately. "Oh…" She chuckled at the weird feeling. Removing her hands from the case, she looked at her hands. "Freaking." She saw the plastic sink into her flesh.

"Agreed, but with this you have the DNA of a mutant." Seth said. "Not to mention your fingerprints are now concealed." He reached into his pocket while using a tendril to put the case away. "Now final touches." He pulls out a smaller black box, opening it up to reveal two spheres inside.

"What's that?" Harry questioned, intrigued by the metallic components.

H.R. pointed at them with a drumstick. "Oh, you know, those are balls."

"Yes, I can see that!" Harry exclaimed, a vein popping on his forehead.

Seth laughed. "They're nanites, guys." He took one out. "This one here produces contact lenses to trick eye scanners. It's gonna work fine in keeping Rubs' identity safe if she were to scan her eyes at some place." Ruby took the sphere and pulled it open, revealing a pair of contact lenses. As she put them on, her father continued. "The other here." He took the remaining sphere and held it over Ruby's head of bleached-blonde hair. "Nanites to change your hair color."

"Really?" Ruby raised an eyebrow in surprise. She didn't expect it to go that far with concealing her identity. "Don't make it too bland please." She feigned pleading.

"Already got a color set. Think you'll like it." Pressing a button, the sphere in his hand, it dismantled into small nanites that fell down on the top of her head. The nanites moved from her hair, spreading around to every single strand of hair on her head. In a matter of seconds, her blonde strands were covered by the metallic nanites. They infused with the hair, the blonde color disappearing and getting replaced with black quickly.

The others watched as the nanites turned her long blonde hair into black. Blue highlights were scattered around her now black hair after the nanites performed their duty.

Ruby walked over to a nearby computer, looking at her reflection in the monitor. She took a strand of her new black hair and looked at it. "Blue highlights… It's different and I like it." Leaning closer, she pulled her eyelids wide and looked at her eye color. "Brown eyes… Like Mom's." She faced her father.

"Yeah, matches the family after all." Seth chuckled.

Iris gave a thumbs up. "Looks good, Ruby." The gravity manipulator gave a mock bow in gratitude. "But guys, what are the chances of you guys running into Ruby's past version on Earth-616?"

While checking her hair and eyes, Ruby answered. "I was living isolated my entire life in an underground HYDRA facility, only ever got out when I needed to follow my Mom's orders and intercept some enemies. Chances of me encountering my other "me" are small. But…"

"HYDRA is still there, meaning they can see her through CCTV. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." Seth said.

A smog of shadows burst in the middle of the Cortex. The others faced the origin, being Evelyn who let go of her mother and sister's shoulders. They dropped their bags and Caitlin faced Ruby. "Ruby, you look amazing with that hair."

"Thanks, Mom." Ruby said with a smile.

"We're ready, Dad!" Evelyn said with a smile.

"Nice." Seth smiled.

Frankie looked at the other teammates. "Try not to let the city go to hell while we're away."

"Funny." Barry said, wondering if her words would come back and bite them in the rear. "But Seth, are you guys sure about leaving now? We still got the headlines to change and we're gonna be down four fighters now."

Iris sighed, elbowing her boyfriend. "Barry, they have the right to just be a family on a vacation, you know. Not to mention…" She gestured to him, her little brother and Jesse. "We still got three speedsters."

Pointing at the Cortex entrance, Seth added. "And Frost-Flame."

Walking in through the entrance was the familiar Frost-Flame armor. The red scars on the blue-steeled helmet remained as prominent as ever. The blue right arm armed with the Cold Gun and the red left arm aimed with the Heat Gun. The big, modified mini gun was still folded on the back, ready to be used when the situation called for it.

The head turned, facing the other members of the team. "Hello, folks. Ready for action?"

"What the what?" A big question mark formed over Cisco's head. "Frost-Flame's on? Again? I turned it off!"

"And that's Friday in control of the armor?" Iris recognized the voice.

"Yeah, I turned it on again." Seth complained.

The AI jumped. "Actually, about that, Mr. Stark has left a message for Mr. Ramon for when the armor would be reactivated." Friday searched the armor's database for the message.

"For me?" Cisco asked.

When it was found, Friday took control of the console's speakers and the message spoke.

"Cisco Ramon!" Matt's voice practically bellowed out from the speakers. "It's Matt speaking. If you're hearing this, it means Frost-Flame's been reactivated after YOU turned it off AGAIN! Seriously, stop turning it off all the time. You know how much of a hassle it is to keep doing this every time I'm swinging by?!" Whether he was here or not, the nanite mutant's frustration could be heard clearly as day. "Well, whatever. Authorization has been transferred to both Caitlin and Seth, so they're the only ones to turn off the armor. FYI, Cisco, I put the Guardian Protocol to protect you guys! Not so you guys increase my workload and piss me off all at once! If I wanted someone to piss me off, I'd have just started talking to Seth."

"Wait till I see that annoying talking scrapheap again; I'll tear him a new one." Seth stated, cracking his fists.

"Message's completed." Friday stated.

"So we got Friday on our team too and in the flesh no less!" H.R. cheered.

Frankie scratched her head. "Well, more like, "In the armor" than "in the flesh.""

The AI turned the armor's helmet to the Earth-19er and inquired. "Mr. Wells, would you like to know additional secret menu items on CC Jitters' menu?"

Ruby looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "How obsessed with coffee can you be, man?"

"Always a new coffee to drink out there, in this big wide world." H.R. stated.

Harry slapped himself in the face. "How you've dealt with this moron is still a mystery to me…"

Evelyn smiled. "Sounds like you got a case to work on then, Harry."

"Don't fan the flames, honey." Caitlin ruffled her daughter's hair. "Friday's gonna help with taking care of foes while we're away. Trust her, she's gonna do well. Friday, list your priorities."

"Primary priority: Protect Central City." Caitlin gave the team a confident look… Which didn't last long as the AI continued. "Secondary priority: Terrorize Barry Allen."

"Wait what?" Barry let out.

"Subtasks: Pretend to accidentally shoot Barry. Make Barry uncomfortable. Follow Barry, day and night. Watch Barry while he sleeps. Record Barry's noises while he sleeps and play them back in suspicious voicemails. Spy on Barry while he's-"

"Hold your horses! Why's that a priority?!" Barry exclaimed.

Immediately everyone shot their accusatorily eyes at Seth. "Wow, that was quick."

"Like you wouldn't have done that." Venom chuckled.

Mentally agreeing with his "other," Seth turned to his teammates. "Okay, yes, it may definitely seem like something I'd say and do. But I can promise this wasn't me."

Caitlin turned to Friday again. "Friday, reveal secondary priority creator. Authorization code: Alpha Level, Tango Delta Sierra Praetorian."

"Authorization granted." Friday nodded. "Second priority creator: Fury Boss."

"Fury Boss?" H.R. questioned, scratching his head with a drumstick.

"Wait, that's what Jarvis used to call Liv a long time ago." Seth remembered.

Caitlin chortled. "Liv put in this priority?"

"Apparently." Barry shivered. "That can't be right. Right?"

"Well, you did almost erase her brother and her nieces, it's not so easy to forgive." Caitlin stated bluntly. Barry gulped.

With a sigh, Seth told the AI. "Friday, suspend second priority until further notice. Authorization code: Alpha Level, Sierra Tango Delta."

"Authorization recognized. Second priority suspended." Friday stated.

"Happy?" Seth turned to the Scarlet Speedster, who was still sweating bullets. "Well, now you got a pair of mechanical arms to help you guys out. But again, don't burn down the city while we're gone."

"Cool, yeah, of course." Cisco said. "Want me to open a breach to 616?"

"No. While your powers are dependable and do open breaches and all, we don't know if it can open a breach to a universe so far away." Seth pulled out the spherical device that Matt left behind. "So, I'm gonna use the safer option and use this."

"That's the device that allows passage to Earth-616?" Julian inquired in awe and interest.

"Yeah. Anyway, take care guys!" Seth said, pressing a button. In the middle of the Cortex, a portal came into being before their eyes. "Time to go, guys." He used tendrils to grab the bags and suitcases that he and Caitlin brought.

Evelyn smiled, taking her bags and her suitcase. "Let's go!" With the enthusiasm of an overeager child, she leaped into the portal without any hesitation.

"God, that idiot doesn't even think, does she?" Ruby rolled her eyes. Using her gravity to lift her bags, she declared. "Time to go…" She jumped into the portal next.

"Catch up if you can!" Frankie leaped backwards into the portal.

"Frankie, you forgot your bags!" Caitlin exclaimed, but her words fell on deaf ears as her child had already passed through the threshold. "Those girls never stop, do they?"

"Nope." Seth said, using his hands to get Frankie's bags. "Our turn?"

Caitlin took some of the bags and she took his hand. "Our turn."

Without further ado, the two adults of the Snow-Fury entered the portal. The portal pulsated with each person passing through it, only stopping when Caitlin and Seth entered. Once they were through, the portal closed.

Iris looked at her boyfriend who was still sweating bullets. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"… They only… suspended …the second priority…" Barry said, slowly turning to the AI-controlled Iron Knight armor.

As if on cue, the armor turned his head back to meet the speedster's eyes. "Suspended… Until further notice."

AI would be the death of Barry Allen…

X

In one of the most abandoned areas of Central City… Eliza Harmon was lying on her back, playing with her hair as she looked up at the blue sky over him. She was alone at the location, lying on top of a rusty red ship container.

"Tonight… is it?" Scream questioned her host.

"It is…. It's time to keep my end of the deal…" Eliza spoke aloud.

"Why did you call us here, Dr. Harmon?"

Eliza sat up. She turned around and looked down on the six members she's called to meet.

In front of her are the six members of the Sinister Six. Rhino standing tall and angry, a scowl on his face. Shocker scratching his head, tried and annoyed to be called out here. Vulture soaring over the heads of the other members. Scorpion crawled on the ground, standing up only when he was closer to the container. The Rival looked around, taking in the locale with a grimace.

But the one who held the most annoyance on his face was none other than the leader of the Sinister Six. The very one who elevated himself higher up as he looked at Eliza. The very one who first questions the symbiote-bearer. "What is the meaning of this little gathering, Dr. Harmon?"

Eliza looks at Dr. Otto Octavius. "I'd like to express my gratitude to you, Dr. Octavius." Otto narrowed his eyes behind his goggles. "Your aid in bringing out the symbiotes' elemental prowess is what has helped my army to get to this point. Your knowledge is incredible… But I have no more use for it."

"Is that so?" Otto said back. He flexed his upper mechanical arms. "And what may that conclusion bring us, then?"

Adrian Toomes flexed his wings. "Perhaps, Dr. Harmon, you'd like to elaborate."

Aleksei Sytsevich cracked his neck. "Oh, we already know the answer."

Herman Schultz growled. "So what, you got no more use for us or what, Harmon?"

"Precisely." Eliza smirked.

Mac Gargan hissed. "So, you think you can get rid of us by yourself?!"

"Oh no… Not me." Eliza smiled.

"What's that mean?" Edward Clariss questioned.

ROAR

A thunderous and monstrous roar bellowed out from above and the only thing the Sinister Sex saw before it finally descended on them was…

White…

X

(Earth… 616)

A portal opened up in an alleyway…

Evelyn Fury was the first to come out, landing on the ground. Ruby followed, stepping out of the portal with a smile as she stepped on the asphalt. Frankie shot out of the portal, landing on the alleyway walls and looked around.

Following the three children exiting the portal, their parents came out and looked around as well. Seth smiled, seeing his daughters and his mate in awe of being on this Earth. He relished in the nostalgia hitting him, the smell of good old New York is still the same as ever.

"Family… Welcome to Earth-616, New York City." Seth told them.

"New York City…" Ruby looked around.

Turning to her with his eyes, Seth asked. "You ever been here, Rubs?"

"Like I said, I lived a pretty isolated life as my mother's assassin, Dad. So yes, pretty safe to say, I've never been here." She answered.

"Guess that makes four of us." Caitlin said. On Earth-1 she never went to the city. But now she was getting the chance to experience New York City for the first time ever on another Earth and with her family at the same time.

Frankie looked at her father. "Dad, forgot to ask before, but where are we gonna stay?"

Evelyn commented. "Is it a hotel? Please, let it be a fancy one."

Smiling widely, Seth replied. "Not a hotel… But it's much better. And knowing Matt reprogrammed the sphere last time he was on Earth-1…" He walked to the exit of the alleyway. Even with his back to his family, they could feel him smiling widely. "We're here."

His family members walked up to him, turning to the same sight he set his eyes on…

And was left awestruck by its beauty.

The building looked more like a castle than anything that resembled a house. Huge hedges were on either side of the gate. Behind the tall gate is a massive mansion that is an incredible piece of architecture, appearing to have been influenced by various structural styles from Victorian, Gothic and modern day times.

Standing outside the gate they could see grandiose towers, balconies that were maintained and looked like royalty owned them. Massive windows on the building, through which they could see numerous young kids and young adults walking past. Some of them looked out the windows, seeing the family of five.

Caitlin turned her gaze to the hedge to the right side, seeing a golden sign inside of the branches.

A golden X symbol at the top with the title under it in prominent gold letters…

"Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

Turning to her mate, Caitlin asked. "Seth, is this…"

"The place where I lived for many years as a kid…. Welcome to the X-Mansion, the symbol of hope and unity for mutants. A place where they, both young and old, can embrace their powers, learn to control them and work together under the noble mission of protecting humankind, mutant-kind and the outside world unconditionally."

"This is the home of the X-Men…" Ruby muttered, with a wide smile.

"It is." Seth walked up to the gate. "Let's see if they're gonna welcome me home." From his stomach a tendril spouted out and pushed the gates open. "Or they start all the high-tech life-threatening traps that are in the garden." He walked ahead.

"What the hell did you just say, Dad?" Evelyn stated. Her words of concern didn't reach her father's ears who continued walking ahead.

The others caught up with him, but stopped every now and then to take in the lavish gardens. The lawns are well-manicured and so incredible. They spend most of their time inside of their home or inside of S.T.A.R. Labs, both places far from nature and mostly surrounded by all kinds of advanced technology and different equipment.

They don't spend much time in nature nor do they get the chance to see such a beautiful garden like this, so it was without a doubt the most tranquil environment for anyone to experience.

"This is beautiful." Ruby said in awe, taking in the flowers and the nature around them. "You lived here until you were adopted, Dad? This place?"

"Yeah, ever since I was 2 years old." Seth and his family reached the front door. Caitlin narrowed her eyes at that comment. The door's made of sturdy wood and adorned with ornate carvings, having various symbols on them.

Frankie looked at the doors. "Anything we should know before we walk in there? Like what we shouldn't say or do…"

"No, you'll be fine." Seth put a hand on the handles, turning it around and lightly pushed it open. "Though be ready for anything."

"What was that?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.

But he opened the door without hearing her words and they took in the interior of the mansion.

"Screw you, Pigeon Brain!"

"Back at you, Dumb Hedgehog!"

The members of the Snow-Fury family definitely got a strange shock when they stepped through the door. While his mate and their daughters widened their eyes at the sight, Seth himself gave an annoyed sigh.

Having entered through the front door, the family entered the foyer and saw the center of it was occupied by two specific young men. One was a young man of African-American heritage with black hair and brown eyes, wearing a black tank top and gray jogging pants….

And from his arms… Razor-sharp spikes spouted like flowers.

Facing him is a Caucasian young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. Clad in a gray tank top himself and wearing a pair of blue jeans. But what stood out the most about this guy was him being…

Airborne… On account of the massive fully feathered wings on his back.

"What the hell?" Frankie asked in shock, surprised by the powers she's seeing.

"Took the words right out of my mouth, honey." Seth said tiredly while dropping his bags and suitcases. "What… The hell…"

The man with spikes on his arms clenched his fists. "You're dead, Warren! Dead pigeon's gonna be on tonight's menu!"

Warren growled, continuing to flap his wings. "Keep yammering like that, Darian, you're gonna be one dead hedgehog!"

"Is this a normal occurrence around here?" Caitlin questioned her mate, noting the lack of outside interference.

"If it is, I hope there's popcorn. I won't say no to a bloodbath for a greeting." Ruby smiled widely like a maniac.

Evelyn, seeing that smile, said. "Think you're the only one in this entire building who'd love that, sis."

"And me… I'd be the one to be annoyed by this crap again…" Seth said, moving forward.

Darian and Warren charged one another, one striking from the ground and the other from the air. One mutant ejected a long razor-sharp spike from his wrist, the other reeled back a wing as he shot forward to meet his opponent.

However, Seth, enveloping himself in lightning, leapt forward, coming between the two of them immediately. The other two mutants widened their eyes, halting their attacks. In that very moment, the elemental took advantage of their hesitation when he snapped his hands forward and grabbed them both by their collars.

With little to no effort, the elemental pulled on their collars and lifted them up, giving them both a dry look of annoyance. That look alone was enough to get Darian and Warren sweating bullets. "Now… What idiots am I holding up if not Featherbrain and Spike Boy?"

"H-H-Hey, Mr. Rogers." Warren shakily said. Even his wings shook in fear.

"Long time no see, Mr. Rogers." Darian greeted him. "How's it going?" He was hoping he would be let down soon.

"Good… Until I was reminded of two morons who still fight. Now… Haven't we been over this before, boys?" Seth asked them. Both of them nodded rapidly. "And what did I tell you before?"

"Um…" Warren started, not able to recall what he said.

"You said…" Darian was in the same state, not able to remember his words.

"First I said, you're going to take your fighting outside." He tightened his hold on their clothes. "And the other thing I said…" Seth suddenly spun around, gaining momentum. The two mutants in his hands screamed, recalling what comes next.

Coming to a stop, Seth took advantage of the momentum he gathered and threw the mutants. His family and himself watched with undivided attention as the two mutants he hurled smash through the windows on the staircase platform.

Throughout their travel through the air, they continued to scream. But their screams ended when a sudden loud splashing sound echoed from outside.

"Morons never change." Seth said, dusting off his hands.

"Honey." Caitlin got his attention. "Please, tell me you threw the faculty members into the pool."

"Course I didn't. Last I checked, they're students." Seth clarified.

Frankie faced her sisters. "Does Dad seriously not see how that's much worse than what we thought?"'

Evelyn shrugged her shoulders. "Don't see the big surprise. Dad's probably done this before."

"Considering he aimed for the pool, then yeah, he has." Ruby agreed. "Dad's not merciful to anyone."

Seth chuckled. "Just usual business at the school for gifted youngsters. Speaking of…" He heard footsteps coming from all around them, and from the upper floor. Caitlin and the girls looked around as well, seeing a growing number of young students appearing on every floor. Each and every one of them pointing their eyes at the ones in the foyer.

"Good thing we didn't say anything about being subtle." Ruby sarcastically said.

"Definitely would've failed that mission." Frankie agreed, feeling weird under the students' gaze.

"What is going on here?"

Seth smiled at that voice, recognizing that woman's voice. He turned around and faced the woman after so many years.

It was many years ago since he last saw her, and she hadn't changed a bit while he was gone. Even after the years he's been gone, Ororo Munroe still carries a captivating and ethereal presence that possesses regal grace akin to that of a queen. Even stepping down the stairs, she was guided by an inherent poise that speaks of an ancient wisdom.

Her silken snowy white hair cascades down her back like a waterfall, framing her face. A face of exquisite symmetry and radian ebony skin. Her eyes, deep and piercing blue as the sky, holds a serene intensity as she takes notice of the other elemental.

Her clothes were tailored. Her blouse bears a rich, earthy hue. She's in a pair of jeans with a bright blue shade. Her sleek and comfortable heels click on the wooden staircase steps. The silver hoops adorned on her ears reminds of swirling gusts of wind. On her neckline is a pendant in the shape of a small crystal.

The X-Man, known as Storm, came to a halt when she reached the ground floor, staring at Seth with widened eyes. "No way… Seth?" She couldn't even recognize him…

He was happy…

"Long time no see, Ororo." Seth smiled.

Her lips broke into a wide smile. She rushes down the stairs, shouting. "Welcome home!" Ororo wrapped her arms around the other elemental, who reciprocated with his own arms wrapping around her form. "Welcome home, Seth!"

"Thanks for it, Ororo." He told the woman warmly. "I'm back."

Storm laughed, pulling out of the hug and giving him a look over. "By Bast, you've grown, Seth."

"Not at all." Seth argued with a shake of his head.

She laughed again. She stopped, looking around to see the students still looking down at the two elementals. Straightening herself, Ororo turned to their curious gazes. "Okay, everyone, get back to your classes, me and the faculty will… greet our guests." She said, facing Seth again.

When the students around them and over their heads didn't move an inch. Rolling his eyes, Seth took matters into his own hands.

"Anyone who stays here any longer gets extra homework and an hour of detention the next five days. Hope you've all brushed up on bio and chemistry, I'm expecting you all to put that knowledge to good use when you dissect your own frogs."

In a matter of seconds, the students were running back in the direction from where they came from in a hurry. They ran so fast it was akin to them being chased by the Grim Reaper. And the Snow-Fury daughters were confident they saw someone phase through walls…

With a roll of her eyes, Ororo sighed at his warning. "Seth, you really haven't changed."

"Told you." Seth smirked.

Looking up again, she looked past him and saw the four people behind him. "Seth, who are they…"

The mutant with a symbiote inside saw how Storm was already drawing conclusions in her mind and struggling to not smile. Though she may have already reached the right conclusion, Seth still chose to introduce them. "Ororo Monroe, this is my family. My daughters, Frankie, Evelyn and Ruby." He gestured to the three young powered girls who waved their hands.

Ororo smiled. "Nice to meet you girls."

"And this one is…" Seth went to Caitlin's side and wrapped an arm around her. "This is the love of my life, Caitlin Snow."

"Nice to meet you." Caitlin greets her.

"By Bast, it's a pleasure to meet you all." Ororo smiled widely, not holding back anymore. She immediately went to hug each and every one of them. The three girls gasped when they were suddenly pulled into a bear hug. Caitlin laughed at their reactions, but gave a similar reaction when she was pulled into a tight hug herself. "It's such a pleasure to meet you all!"

"Matt and Liv already told you about them?" Seth wondered, smiling widely as she was busy hugging his family.

Pulling out of the hug with Caitlin, Ororo faces him. "Every last detail, and I've been wanting to meet them all for so, so long!" She excitedly said.

"Blabbermouths." Seth heard his "other" complain sarcastically.

"Storm." The family and the female mutant turned their gazes back to the top of the staircase. Standing there are two familiar faces that Seth was happy to see again after so long…

One of them at least.

Standing there on the right side of the staircase is a tall Caucasian man, standing at 6'3 feet. He has brown hair; his body is clad in a blue shirt with a red jacket on and blue pants. But what stood out the most about him is the dark gray visor with a ruby-red crimson-tinted lens. The visor is framed meticulously to fit snugly around his head. The sides of the visor have big circular discs that cover his ears.

Standing on the left side of the staircase is a white-skinned woman, standing at 5'6 feet but had several inches added on account of her comfortable high heels. Her crimson-red hair hanging down her right shoulder. Her body is clad in a beautiful red dress with a dark-yellow belt around her waist. And her emerald green eyes, much like her gaping mouth, wide open in shock at the sight.

"Seth, that you?" The woman questioned, doubting herself even though she's looking at the elemental right now.

The guy at the staircase looked at the broken windows briefly before turning back to the mutant with a symbiote inside of him, "Considering we got broken glass and two students fishing themselves out of the water, I'm gonna say that the Agent of Mayhem returned home. Regretfully."

"Scott Summers, how the hell are you still alive? Figured you'd have tried to shave yourself with your lasers and accidentally burn yourself to a crisp." Seth countered.

"Figured you'd have tried to absorb a pool's worth of water and burst like a freaking balloon." Scott Summers growled.

Seth turned his gaze to the woman beside him. "Jean, seriously, why are you still dealing with this moron? He's such an unfriendly bastard."

Jean Grey chortled at that. "That's pretty much everyone's opinion on you, Seth. Even the students."

"And they complain about me giving them Fs…" Seth muttered, loud enough for the others to hear.

"Wait, those are your kids and new girlfriend?" Jean asked, gesturing to the people behind him.

"Yeah." Seth nodded. "My daughters, Frankie, Evelyn and Ruby, and my girlfriend Caitlin Snow, meet Jean Grey and, unfortunately, Scott Summers."

"Screw you." Scott growled.

"Likewise." Seth said.

Caitlin laughed. "I'm so happy you're so loved here honey."

"Everyone's second favorite elemental." Seth said.

"Second?" Frankie raised an eyebrow. Storm whistled, waving her fingers funnily. "Yeah, that tracks."

"Really?" Seth directed to his daughter who shrugged her shoulders in response. "Okay, we're gonna be here for a while. Where's the Professor?"

"Upstairs, teaching a class. Come. He'll be happy to see you again." Ororo told him. Seth nodded his head and moved after her when she went to the staircase. When he was about to use his tendrils to get the suitcases and bags, Ruby surprised the X-Men when she lifted up the luggage with a wave of her hands.

"Got our stuff, Dad. Lead the way." Ruby told him.

Leaning against the wooden railing the telepathic mutant questioned. "Gravity, right?" Jean was intrigued by the powers.

"Yup." Ruby further made a show of her powers when she levitated herself off the ground and up to the top of the staircase.

"Nice." Ororo said, surprised by her skills and usage with her powers.

Evelyn shadowported to the top of the stairs, showing off her powers. "Teleportation… Not bad." Jean stated, impressed by her powers.

"Not even the coolest thing I got." Evelyn smirked, crossing her arms.

"Show offs." Frankie countered, walking up the stairs with her mother and father.

Caitlin looked between the three faculty members that they've met. "Not to be rude… But you three are all…"

"Mutants, yeah, like Seth." Jean nodded.

"They're the X-Men." Ruby stated.

"X-Men?" Evelyn doesn't recall that name ever being mentioned before arriving on this Earth.

Before the adults could start explaining, Ruby beat them to the punch. "The X-Men are a group of superheroes, consisting of mutants only. They defend the world from any threats against the world, human society and against mutant-kind. They're a big deal."

Scott turned to Seth. "Gotta admit, with your kids being from another Earth, I didn't expect one of them to know that much about mutants."

"Long story on that, but Rubs knows a lot about the heroes of this world." Seth answered.

Evelyn smirked. "She's a fangirl, Dad. Just admit it."

"Screw you, Evie." Ruby growled.

Ororo laughed. "Reminds me of you, Matt and Liv when you were younger."

Scott scoffed. "I'd have to disagree on that. I mean, there's no bloodshed with these kids."

"Careful or your blood is gonna be shed…" Seth growled.

Caitlin then asked. "Seth, those students you hurled before, they called you Dr. Rogers."

"Yeah, every student here knows me as Dr. Rogers. Seth Fury, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., known as Venom to the outside world, is a secret that only some of the faculty members know. Including the professor." Seth explained.

"The professor… Who is he?" Caitlin questioned.

Before they could explain, they heard a voice speak as they rounded a corner. A voice that made Seth smile widely…

"To break forth bloodily, then the past must be obliterated…And a new start made."

The group rounded the corner and saw that a spiraling staircase in the middle of a large room was occupied by a large number of students. They were seated in a circle, taking notes as they listened to their lecturer continue the lesson.

Their teacher is a bald Caucasian man in a teal blue full business suit with a satin microfiber skinny red tie around his collar. Seated in a wheelchair, the man was spinning around as he continued reading out loud from the book in his right hand.

"Let us now start fresh… without remembrance rather than live forward and backward at the same time." The man looked up from his book, facing his students with his blue eyes. "Now, what on Earth do we think that the author meant…" The students immediately raised their hands sky-high. The man turned in his chair. "When he wrote all that…?"

The bald man stopped turning, widening his mouth in surprise and disbelief when he looked through the hallway and saw the group there. "That's going to be your assignment for tomorrow. Top marks, everyone. Class dismissed." He absentmindedly told his students as Seth and the rest of the group neared him.

"It's good to see you again, Professor." Seth greeted the man who raised him for many years with a smile.

Rolling towards the elemental, Charles Xavier said back. "My dear boy, what a pleasure it is to see you again after all these years." Seth shook hands with the Professor. "You look well. Healthy… Happy."

"Lot's changed since then, Professor." Seth told the leader. "It has been a long time indeed."

"Too long." Charles struggled to not cry at the sight of the elemental mutant again. He looked behind him. "And these four are…"

"My family." Seth said, stepping aside for the professor to go to them.

The professor stopped in front of them, looking up at them. "What a pleasure to meet you all. I've been wanting to meet you all for a long time. Dr. Caitlin Snow. Frankie Snow-Fury. Evelyn Snow-Fury. Ruby Snow-Fury." He greeted them all with their names. "Welcome to the School for the Gifted."

"Gifted…" Caitlin reached up, clutching her snowflake-shaped power-dampener. "Doesn't feel like a gift…"

"My dear Dr. Snow…" The professor got her attention. "At first, it never feels like a gift."

"What?" Caitlin asked in surprise. Then it dawned on her. "You're a telepath, like Liv."

"Very much so, yes. And pardon the intrusion, it's a habit I have with new guests." Charles explained.

"Hope he's not as bad as your aunt." Magenta told her host.

Charles narrowed his eyes at that voice but shook it off. He turned his head to Seth again. "Now Seth, while it's a delight as always, what brings you and your family here to your old home?"

Being very candid, Seth answered. "Well, not gonna sugarcoat it, Professor. But me and Caitlin just had a very dramatic and dangerous trip to another Earth, where we had to rescue our friend from a city of high-intelligent telepathic gorillas, one of which we sent over there and had been bitching about it ever since and wanted revenge on us and our city by leading an entire army of telepathic beasts. Me and a speedster who's into red tights fought off the leaders of Gorilla City, the location where our friend was kept hostage, but that was part of the bitching gorilla's plan. He wanted to invade our Earth via a friend of ours. We foiled that, escaped with our lives and wanted to replace that memory with a pleasant one. And the rest is history…." He trailed off.

While he didn't sugarcoat it as promised, the elemental did not hold anything back when he explained the story of his latest adventure with his girlfriend and the rest of their team.

"I'm sorry…" Scott was still trying to fit the pieces. "You said… An army of gorillas?"

"Yup." Seth said.

"Telepathic gorillas?" Jean asked.

"Yup." Seth repeated for the second time.

"In Gorilla City?" Ororo asked.

"Yup." Seth repeated for the third time.

"That is… Yes, I understand why you'd wanna replace that adventure with a more… pleasant one." Inwardly Charles was still struggling just as much as faculty members. "Sounds very eventful, though."

"I'm still pissed we didn't get to come along." Frankie frowned, crossing her arms.

"Again, honey, someone had to watch the city and the speedsters we left behind are too green." Seth recited.

"Still Grodd kidnapped Mom, we could have come along and beat that snot-nosed ape into a pulp." Ruby said.

"I would have loved to come too." Evelyn stated.

"Honey, I don't think that would have been a good idea." Caitlin ruffled her head.

"Meaning, you probably would have stolen something from them." Ruby bluntly said.

"That was very much on the table, yes." Seth admitted. His words make his metahuman daughter pout and sulk. "Sorry honey."

Charles chuckled at their interactions. "Now, I'm sure you'd like to get rid of the luggage so…." He reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a key. "I believe this room should be enough for your daughters. It's already got three beds, cleaned and has been unoccupied for a long time."

Seth watched the key dangle from the professor's right index finger, catching a glimpse of the key number on it.

"333"

Chuckling at that, Seth shot the professor a look. "You sly old dog."

"What?" Frankie asked.

"…" He turned his head to his child. "Hope you and your sisters don't mind the faint smell of smoke and ashes. And please, don't pay any attention to the boarded-up holes and burn marks around the walls." Question marks popped up over the heads of his children immediately from his words. Smiling widely, Seth clarified. "It's the old room that your aunt and uncle and I shared when we lived here."

"Wait, really?" Evelyn said excitedly.

"Two floors up. Far end of the hallway on the right." He told them.

Without further thinking, Evelyn used her shadow tendrils to push their parents' luggage away from her and her sisters' bags and suitcases. Unleashing more tendrils, she wrapped them around her sisters and herself and their luggage.

Realizing her intentions, Caitlin exclaimed. "Evie, no! No, no, no, no, no!"

But her words were completely disregarded when Evelyn shadowported them away.

"Dear god, I'm afraid of what Evie's gonna take this time." Seth muttered.

"What, pray tell, are you talking about, Seth?" The professor questioned.

Before he could get the chance to speak, Caitlin immediately stated. "Our daughter Evelyn has a lack of impulse control… and has a somewhat of a thieving streak."

"She's a thief?" Ororo questioned.

"Yes, but please don't judge our daughter. She's had a rough past." Seth told them. They nodded their heads, understanding what he said. "But… Keep an extra tight grip on your belongings for the duration of our stay."

"Copy that." Charles nodded, turning in his wheelchair. "Now, let's set you two up in one of the vacant faculty bedrooms while your children situate themselves in your old one, Seth."

"Hope they can survive the experience…" Seth sarcastically said.

X

Amidst a large number of students walking to their rooms in a hallway, a number of them screamed in shock when a black plume of shadows burst around them.

"Evie, come on!" Ruby shouted at her sister, pushing off the shadowy tendrils of darkness.

Frankie pushed off the tendrils as well, giving her sister a frustrated look. "Sis, you know it's a bad idea if you start shadowporting in a place you don't know."

"Especially… In another universe…" Ruby whispered angrily, trying to keep her words to a low volume as to prevent the numerous students around from getting suspicious. Their wide-eyed gazes were boring into them like crazy.

"But Dad said this school's for powered kids, like us!" Evelyn excitedly reminded them. "Meaning we can use them as much as we want, in the open!"

"Way to see the silver lining." Dusk praised her host.

The gravity manipulator groaned with an eye roll. "Sis, I love you and all, believe that, but I think we should keep our… "Other" powers on the DL."

"Wow…" Reap let out offended. "Way to treat me and my sisters like we're some kind of stolen goods that others want."

Frankie nodded her agreement. "Rubs is right. This place may be okay with kids and using powers in the open, but if we use the powers from… "Dad's side"" She used air quotes. "People might string together some secrets that will definitely bite us in the ass."

"Okay, what are the chances there's other telepaths like that bald guy with Hot Wheels in this school and they're listening to us right now…?" Magenta questioned.

"… Let's just say there's a pretty good chance of that. I'm sure Aunt Liv ain't the only one to peek into the minds of everyone here." The ferrokinetic admitted.

"Okay, okay, okay. I will keep those powers on the DL." Evelyn assured her sisters. "But come on! I wanna see Dad's old room." She turned her eyes to the door in front of them, the number on the right side of it being…

…333…

Ruby opened her fist, and put the key in the keyhole. Much like her sister, she couldn't hide the excitement on her face as a wide smile formed on her mouth. She and Evelyn weren't the only ones to struggle with their growing excitement because Frankie's tightening her hold on the bags.

Turning the key and the lock clicked. Ruby pushed the door open and walked into the room, her sisters followed her and closed the door behind them. This gave the three sisters a chance to take in the room.

Despite being the room where their father, their uncle and aunt have lived in for a long time, the atmosphere they felt wasn't homey or cozy like their own house on Earth-1, The atmosphere is strangely eerie, hinting to neglect and abandonment indicating that the professor was correct that it's not been in use for a long time. The air itself still carries a faint smell of smoke and ashes, remnants of a past event caused by their father.

And as he said, there are boarded-up holes and burn marks scattered across the walls and floor. The girls laughed at the burn marks and the boards covering up the holes, thinking that the only explanation behind them is because of their father spontaneously fighting his sister and/or his best friend in this very small space.

Despite its neglected state, there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. Not on the walls, not on the floors, not on the beds. Not even on the wood boards used to patch up the holes. But despite all the scars, the sisters could see that this entire room was once adorned with polished wooden planks. The walls, although now marred by the boarded-up holes and burn marks, were once adorned with elegant wallpaper that's now faded and peeled in places.

A single coat was still standing against one wall, all of its hooks vacant and waiting for someone to hang their belongings. The curtains were tattered, hanging from the windows, allowing rays of sunlight to filter through and shed sunshine over the slightly dusty floor. Each of the three beds have small bedside tables beside them, the surfaces of each of them still dusty.

It was clear that this room hadn't been used in a long time, devoid of any and all types of personal belongings or decorations, only adding to its overall desolate state. The big room has a dusty bookshelf, utterly empty and devoid of any collection of knowledge.

Sliding a finger across a shelf, Frankie gathered dust and checked it. "Wow, thought the professor said it was cleaned." She admits despite finding minimal dust around them.

"In his defense, I'm pretty sure he's got his hands full with all the official students he's got here. There're tons of them." Evelyn said, sitting down on the bed.

"Think all of them have powers?" Frankie asked.

"I can only guess so, yeah." Ruby sat on her bed. She looked around, taking in the room again. "Dad, Uncle Matt and Aunt Liv lived here in this very room."

Frankie unzipped her bag. "Yeah. Dad lived and was raised here. We're literally… in his childhood home." She admitted, still in shock while using tendrils to pull out her clothes and items.

Evelyn tilted her head. "Figured you would have known this before, Frankie. You were adopted first and all."

"I… I didn't actually dive much into Dad's childhood, honestly." Frankie turned around, facing them.

"So… After we've settled into our room…" Ruby smirked. "Means we gotta interrogate Dad about his life here."

That was an idea the three sisters could get onboard on.

X

"Wow… This is… so beautiful." Caitlin admitted, in awe of the gorgeous garden behind the school.

Having settled into their room, Seth and Caitlin were being shown around the back garden by Charles Xavier himself. Caitlin herself was still in awe of the massive garden that seemed to have no limits.

Charles looked over his shoulder, seeing the metahuman's wide-eyed look. "I'm happy to see you enjoying the surroundings, Dr. Snow."

"That'd be an understatement, Professor Charles." Caitlin said back. "What is this place?"

Coming to a stop, the professor turned around and gestured to the house.

"This was once my childhood home." Charles started, shocking Caitlin. "My stepfather constructed this very mansion. He took the threat of nuclear war very seriously; therefore he constructed a bunker under the building that could protect the occupants from a nuclear onslaught. As I grew older from then, I learned how difficult it was for mutants, especially young ones, to acclimate into our world, given their newfound powers. So, when I finally graduated Oxford University and had some eventful missions around the world, I devoted my entire life to protecting humanity from evil mutants and safeguarding innocent ones from human oppression. My dream is that the two can coexist and this very establishment can be a safe haven for mutants. Confiding and working together with close friends of mine, the topic of founding a school for mutants was raised. And with further help, I was able to take this first step into making my dream a reality."

"First step… Human oppression…" Caitlin thought to herself when she heard the professor's words.

Thinking she forgot about his prowess, Charles narrowed his eyes as he turned around and continued showing them around. "Seth, I take it you haven't talked much about the school with your family?"

"Only in passing or when I recalled some really good advice from you, Professor X." Seth admitted.

"Always a pleasure to know that my teachings got through to my students." Charles admitted with a quip.

"Funny." Seth said back.

"Professor Xavier, I really have to say…" Caitlin stopped, looking out at the bodies of water around them. "This place is so gorgeous. I can't believe you're raising children here so they can learn to use their powers. It's a wonderful dream."

"Thank you, Dr. Snow. And please… Charles is fine." Charles told her. "But my dream is not fulfilled, not yet Dr. Snow. But I know it will be. Soon." He stops to look at Caitlin again. "Dr. Snow, if I may, what is the purpose of the device around your neck?"

"Oh this." Caitlin takes her necklace between her fingers. "This is a… A power-dampener for my powers."

"You have powers?" Charles said.

"I do." Caitlin nodded.

Seth could see the look on the professor's face, seeing his gears turning in thought. But despite that, the elemental inquired. "What's on your mind, Professor?"

Instead of answering his former student, he turned to Caitlin with a passionate and comforting gaze. "Dr. Snow, this is a safe environment. I assure you, there is no need for you to suppress your powers. Your powers are part of you, my dear. You are free to express them here without any worry."

"I realized that already, Professor Xavier. And I have no doubts that this is the only place in this entire universe where I can really learn how to use my powers" Caitlin clutches her necklace again. "But I've seen what my powers do when I use them. I've seen what I could become. I don't want that. I'm sorry."

"Pay no mind to that, my dear. No one here is forcing you to do something you don't want to do." The professor assured the metahuman. "But do know, if you desire to use your powers, this is the right place for you to do so." He promised her.

"Thank you, Professor." Caitlin said to him. She looked at her mate. "Think the girls are settling in okay?"

"I'm confident they're spending their time thinking up the possible scenarios as to why their new room looks like a warzone." Seth's eyes lit up when a bright idea came to the forefront of his mind. "Hey, Professor, is the Danger Room open?"

"Always, Hank is modifying it right now. Why? You wanna give it another go for old time's sake?" Charles smiled.

"Not me…" He trailed off with a wide smirk. His smirk shocked both Caitlin and the mutant professor, both wondering what the elemental's thinking of.

X

"How's the room, girls?" Seth asked his children.

After his vague announcement that he wasn't gonna use the Danger Room, Seth, Caitlin and the professor met up with the Snow-Fury children and walked together.

"You weren't wrong, room definitely smells like ashes and burnt wood." Ruby bluntly said. "You actually managed to sleep in there, Dad?"

"Like a baby." Seth quipped.

Frankie looked at the professor in the wheelchair. "Professor Xavier, this school has been in your family for a long time?"

"Indeed it has. For many years, this very establishment has been in the Xavier family." He answered.

Evelyn turned her head around, taking in all the students around them. "The students here… They're all mutants?"

"A number of them are, yes. But we also have human students." Charles replied. "It's not common, but human children have occasionally attended our fine establishment."

"So, it's not completely for mutants?" Caitlin asked.

"Nope. Granted it does serve primarily as a training ground for mutants to develop both academically but also their powers." Seth replied.

Caitlin tilted her head. "How do they actually develop their powers here?"

"Just like how one would train their muscles, through trial and error." Charles came to a stop in front of a book shelf. "And Seth, you're certain about taking your children to the Danger Room?"

"What exactly is the "Danger Room?"" Ruby asked. Despite knowing more than her sisters and their mother, she had no idea about this Danger Room that their father's taking them to.

"It might just be your favorite room." Seth smirked, pulling on a book on the shelf. Akin to something out of a spy movie, the book wasn't fully pulled out. Instead it was only pulled out a bit before a clicking sound kept it in place, tilting over the edge of the shelf.

Once the clicking sound faded away, a strange chiming sound followed before the book shelf pushed back by itself before sliding to the left. What was then revealed is a futuristic cylinder-shaped elevator with the doors sliding open.

"Okay, that's cool." Evelyn admitted.

"Follow me." Charles wheeled into the elevator with the Snow-Fury family following behind him.

When everyone had entered, the doors closed and went down. "From the old Victorian house and then into The Matrix." Ruby said as the elevator traveled downwards. "But why does this elevator by itself look so different from the school interior?"

"And where exactly are we going now? The basement must be something impressive if it has this kind of an elevator?" Evelyn continued with the questions.

"After graduating from Oxford University, I was drafted in the Korean War and battled some powerful individuals in Cairo. And when I returned home, I began to establish this building into an institute but lacked the technology for it." Charles started. "Before I began recruiting, I received… aid from a certain friend. He helped equip the mansion with advanced technology that tends to leave most in awe."

"Show-off." Seth nudged the professor.

"Well, I do believe you agree with my statement, or am I wrong, my dear boy?" Charles questioned rhetorically.

"Can't say you're wrong about it." Seth smirked.

Frankie turned to her father. "Dad, this Danger Room. Is it better than what we have on Earth-1?"

"Trust me, sweetie, if you think the Speed Lab or the Klyntar Lab's anything like what you're about to see…" Seth turned to his child. "You're gonna lose your mind. And if so… Maybe you're not prepared for what's next."

"Whatever it is Dad… Trust me, I'm ready." Frankie's eyes sparked with a magenta hue for a second, her determination igniting her metahuman powers.

"We'll see, won't we." Seth argued as the elevator came to a stop. "We're here." The doors opened up, allowing them to go out and the first one out was Professor Xavier. Following the professor, they came to stand in front of a big metal door with a large X on it. "This is where we split up."

"What?" Caitlin said.

Clarifying, the elemental stated. "Beyond this door, only our girls are allowed through here."

"More precisely, the door here leads to an area that benefits your daughters more than the three of us, at the moment." Charles clarified further. "And Seth, you're confident that your children will be able to rise to the challenge?"

"Absolutely." Seth nodded.

Charles nodded his understanding, accepting the elemental's decision. He turned to the girls. "Wait here a moment, I will escort your parents to the monitoring room. When we're there, the doors will open and you will be let in."

"Not gonna tell us what to expect?" Ruby questioned.

"No." Seth shook his head with a smile.

The professor took Seth and Caitlin to another elevator close by, one that opened up when they neared it. They entered. Once the doors closed, the metahuman asked. "Where's this one taking us?"

"The monitoring room, it oversees anything happening in the Danger Room." Seth answered.

Charles added. "You will also come to meet Hank McCoy. Another member of the faculty. Hank, with his extensive scientific knowledge and technical expertise, takes on the role of overseeing and maintaining the Danger Room."

"Is Mr. McCoy the only one to manage this Danger Room?" Caitlin inquired.

"Not at all. Depending on the situation, desired or otherwise, other members of the faculty take on the same role. I've done it myself a number of times." Seth answered.

Charles interjected. "Those times were only because the others were busy with exams, at that time. And Seth's management did seem unorthodox… resulting in some complaints from the students."

"Still going on about that..." Seth rolled his eyes. "I patched them up myself, Professor."

"I still believe that's among the complaints, dear boy." Charles added.

"Kids need thicker skin." Seth groaned.

"Or tougher bones." Venom chortled.

Once again Charles grimaced, recalling how alike the elemental and his symbiotic roommate is with their thought process.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. The first one to look through the opening doors is Caitlin and the first thing she saw…

Is blue?!

"AAHH!" She screamed in shock, jumping back with a hand to her chest.

It was that moment Seth and Charles remembered how used to Hank's appearance they are, which newcomers like Caitlin aren't familiar with. But granted, seeing a man standing at an imposing height with the attributes of both man and beast is not something most would get used to immediately.

Any newcomers would have Caitlin's reaction to seeing a person's body covered in a luxurious coat of vibrant, dense blue fur. His hands and feet long since becoming formidable claws and talons. His eyes remain an expressive blue shade. Vibrant blue far around his face and his skin a blue shade as well from his transformation. Same goes for his ears that are now pointed. Much like his ears have become pointed from the transformation, his teeth have turned into fangs. But despite Hank's muscular beast-like physique, his body's clad in a well-maintained grey business suit. Over his eyes are his usual pair of glasses.

Said pair of glasses is what Hank straightens as he relaxes himself from that sudden scream. "Dearie, that wasn't what I expected when I got to see you again Seth."

"Cait. You okay?" Seth asked, comfortingly putting a hand on her back in comfort.

"I'm sorry… It's just… Wow!" Caitlin said, still shocked out of body and mind at the sight of Hank's beast-influenced form. "I never expected your…" She struggled to find the words-

"I know, babe. Hank's appearance is something to get used to. And it's not easy to do that at all, at first anyway." Seth admitted.

Caitlin did not find that helpful. She turned to the blue-furred mutant. "Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to scream at you like that."

"No need to apologize, dearie." Hank McCoy, AKA Beast, took hold of his yellow tie with his sharp nails. "I know, yellow clashes with the rest of the outfit."

Caitlin looked shocked while Seth gave a dry look. "Yes, cause your tie's the biggest surprise about this whole meeting." He sarcastically noted. "Hank McCoy, meet Caitlin Snow, my girlfriend from Earth-1." He gestured to his mate who blushed. "Caitlin, meet Hank McCoy. Don't worry, he's just looking a little blue. It's nothing new."

"Seth, as always, your mouth remains as foul as your jokes are devoid of any humor." Hank snapped back. "Dr. Snow, what a pleasure it is to meet you. I've only heard good things about you from Olivia and Matthew."

"Pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. McCoy." Caitlin said back with a smile.

"Hank, please." Hank told her.

Seth narrowed his eyes. "Hank, didn't you smell me coming?"

"Yes and no." The blue-furred mutant started. "While I did smell you, your scent is quite different from what I remember." He rubbed his nose. "Must have had quite a few adventures for your smell to change."

"That's one way of putting it." Seth tilted his head.

The elevators opened up behind them, allowing Ororo, Jean and Scott to come out. "Are we late?" Storm questioned urgently.

"Are you guys gonna watch?" Seth asked with a raised eyebrow. Each of them nodded. "They got too much free time."

Charles glanced at the elemental skeptically. Coughing to himself, he turned to Hank. "Hank. Please open the doors so Seth and Caitlin's children can enter the Danger Room."

"Children…" Hank turned on the monitor in front of him, showing the three girls standing outside the entrance impatiently. "I heard you've got daughters, Seth. But… Are you sure about introducing them to the Danger Room? You know the foes they're about to face off against."

"Trust me, I know my daughters and I know what their strengths are." Seth confidently said. "They can handle the Danger Room at the medium level."

"If you're sure…" Hank also waited for a nod from the Professor who nodded his confirmation. With the confirmation gotten, Beast pressed a button and opened the entrance.

X

"Wow!" Ruby exclaimed in utter shock and disbelief as they passed the threshold.

The three sisters looked around, taking in the dome-like interior of the room they're inside of. Much like hallways outside, they were left in awe from the futuristic characteristics. From what they could see, every inch of metal they saw appeared to be reinforced and extremely high-tech.

The area they're occupying is huge, as though they've entered a whole new world of technological wonders and not a separate area under the mansion.

The girls sniffed the air, each of them catching a whiff of sweat and… Blood?

Evelyn coughed sheepishly. "Did Dad bring us to a slaughterhouse?"

Frankie covered her nose. "And did Mom sanction it?"

Ruby chuckled. "If so, I think they're gonna have to rethink their parenting technique."

"Hey, we're not that awful." Seth called out through the speakers from the observing room.

Looking around the large dome-like room, Ruby questioned. "Course our parents are creeping from afar."

"Trust me, honey, this is still as confusing to me as it is to you three." Caitlin admitted.

Evelyn put her hands into her pockets. "Dad, you didn't answer my question. Is this a slaughterhouse?"

"Some might think that, sweetheart. This is the Danger Room, a training facility for mutants, new and old ones. It's a highly advanced facility to construct a simulation environment for mutants to hone their abilities, test their limits and prepare for real-life combat scenarios."

"This place?" Frankie gestured to the area skeptically.

Then an unfamiliar voice spoke up through the speakers, surprising the sisters. "I can assure you girls, every panel on the walls and floor is composed of an exceptionally durable metal that can withstand intense forces generated within. It's proven to handle forces rivaling catastrophes. Ask your father if you doubt my words."

"Who's that?" Ruby questioned.

"That was Hank McCoy, the one in charge of this session." Her father replied.

"Hank McCoy? You mean Beast!" Ruby exclaimed in surprise.

"Beast?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, he's a certified genius." Ruby started. "In this world, he's one of the eight smartest people there is. He's got six PhDs, including one in biophysics and he's a world-renowned biochemist. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised to say that most of the tech in this entire school has been made and modified by him alone."

Frankie smirked. "Don't most of the Wellses we've met already have like seven or eight of them."

"Not a competition, girls!" Caitlin shouted at them.

"Except for H.R., you mean." Evelyn added. "Also, why "Beast?""

"Never seen the real thing, but from what I've heard he's… blue." Ruby stated.

X

"Blue? Like a Smurf?"

Inside of the observing room, Hank grimaced at that sentence from Frankie, shooting a scathing glare at the elemental behind him.

"Nah, more like a Stitch from "Lilo & Stitch." More bestial features. Think he's got fur." Ruby corrected.

The scathing glare intensified, making Seth cough sheepishly under the genius' dagger-like eyes.

Evelyn continued, in shock. "Wait, your Earths got "Lilo & Stitch?" It was banned on my Earth for gratuitous violence."

"What?" Frankie exclaimed.

Hank sighed. "I can see the family resemblance."

"Sorry for that, Hank. But they're good kids. Trust me." Seth smiled.

"And you're sure about them being up for this?" Once again, Hank had to ask as he feared that these first-timers would be unable to handle the regiments that the other mutants of this school put themselves through in the training area.

"Absolutely, Hank. Use that." The tone the elemental used shocked the beast-like mutant. "They can handle it, Hank."

"Alright." Hank accepted and began pressing on the keyboards in front of him.

"Level?" Charles asked.

"I already input a level." Seth revealed.

"Seth, what are you gonna do to them?" Caitlin wondered with slight concern.

Before she could answer, Hank pressed a button and started it.

X

"Frankie!"

The ferrokinetic perked up at her "other's" exclamation. "What is it?" She questioned back, her eyes shooting to her sisters who were bearing the same expressions as her. Both of them, like her, are speaking with their respective symbiotes.

"Something's coming. Be on your guard." Magenta exclaimed.

In a moment, she took a stance, ready for any sign of combat. Her sisters take similar stances.

The warnings from their inner roommates within were proved to be correct when suddenly the entire Danger Room began to shake. The foundation shook violently, the three sisters almost falling to the ground as though they lost their balance.

Suddenly cracks erupted along the surface of the ground, covering each and every inch that they could see. From each crack smoke bursts out of them as though they are geysers.

"Wow!" Evelyn exclaimed, covering her eyes with her hands. Frankie and Ruby covered their eyes with their arms. "What the hell is this? Smoke?"

"Not just that… It's hot!" Ruby shouted, finding it hard to breathe suddenly.

"What the hell?!" Frankie exclaimed.

A wave of unbearable heat engulfed their senses, each of them screaming inside of their bodies. Even though their "others'" senses were expanded to their maximum, they couldn't find anything as though they're in a void.

But after what felt like eternity the sudden heat burst and smokescreen that hit them diminished and the girls opened their eyes.

…

…

And none of them could believe what they were facing now.

When they entered the room, they found themselves in a dome-like area, surpassing any technology they could've possibly imagined to be S.T.A.R. Labs' capabilities. But now…

They found themselves in anything but that…

What lies before them is what could be described as a warzone. They could imagine that the city they're in was once a city of life, exuding it at every second of every day. But now it's reduced to a haunting scene of devastation and ruin. Over them is no longer a ceiling, but a darkened sky that only got blacker as smoke billowed into the clouds.

An eerie glow fell upon the ruined city, revealing the buildings around them. They stood like skeletal remains, their charred structures looming over the desolate and damaged streets. Flames danced mercilessly from shattered windows and collapsed rooftops, devouring anything in their path with a nature that is nowhere near animalistic hunger.

The combined smell of burnt debris and ash spread through the air, assaulting the girls' nostrils and choking their breaths.

"The hell is this place? Did we teleport?" Evelyn asked.

"No, it's not that." Ruby shook her head.

"Rubs is right." Frankie said, looking around alarmingly. "If it was teleportation, someone who's had to physically touch us like how you shadowport. And so far, it's just the three of us here."

"Rules out breaching, no viber here." Ruby stated.

"Means what then?" Evelyn scoured around with her eyes. "You're telling me this entire room transformed in front of us and turned into Apocalypse World?"

"Only thing that makes sense to me, unless you got another explanation…" Frankie stated.

"So this is what Dad meant by real-life scenarios." Ruby smelled the air again, grimacing and covering her nose again. "Smells like ash for sure."

"Even everything around us feels real." Evelyn agreed, touching the remains of a toppled building. "Smells real, feels real. It's freaking crazy… S.T.A.R. Labs got nothing on this place."

"Wait a second…" Frankie got their attention. "Didn't Dad say, "real-life combat scenarios?""

"That I did." Seth stated through the speakers. "On your toes, girls!"

As if on cue, a pair of bright lights focused on them from above in the clouds. Once again, the girls covered their eyes with their arms. But they lowered them the next moment when they undoubtedly felt an earthquake, but it was anything but a natural one, forcing them to lower their arms again.

When they looked up, they found themselves in the field of vision of a massive colossal, its form illuminated by the light coming from its eyes. Standing at an imposing height of twenty-five feet, the machine of technology inched towards the three girls.

The mechanical menace in front of them has a frame composed of sleek armor plating and angular, articulated joints. The outer shell consists of a resilient, gunmetal-gray alloy, exuding with an intimidating sheen. Every inch of its form was equipped with jagged, razor-sharp edges, showing off its lethal purpose.

At its very core, a single processing unit pulsated with increasingly malevolent energy, holding the artificial intelligence that powers the mechanical giant's purpose. A powerful network of glowing, crimson sensors dotted its head and torso, continuously scanning with precision that remains humanly impossible.

Its faceplate, glaring at the heroes' forms with its menacing force, a fusion of both human and mechanical features. Its glowing crimson-red eyes pierced through the darkness from smoke and darkness, sending chills up the spines of the girls.

Its enormous, five-fingered hands easily tear through the steel and debris around it. Armor thick around various areas on its body. Its colossal, armored boots covering its feet, each step it is taking resonates with a thunderous boom that echoes throughout the entire ruined city.

The three heroes locked eyes with the humongous mechanical menace, all of them shivering under its cold lifeless gaze. But while fear may run up their bodies, they also felt a surge of both awe and trepidation.

A battle with this mechanical titan would indeed be an arduous test, their skills in this fight would be challenged and their limits would be pushed to the edge.

"Seriously…" Ruby smiled, shakingly. "We get to fight a freaking Sentinel?"

Frankie, shaking with excitement herself, turned her eyes to her sister. "Sentinel? What's that?"

The gravity manipulator replied. "Anti-mutant robots created to hunt down anyone with the X-Gene in their bodies. They're outfitted with a Mutant Detection Device, capable of distinguishing between mutant and human. I've read about them…"

"But never seen them before, right?" Frankie finished off her sentence. Her sister gave a nod of confirmation.

"Come on, guys…" Evelyn said, walking towards the machine casually. "This is a training room; it couldn't possibly be real." She stood in front of the mechanical menace's foot with her back to it. "I mean, seriously, you think Dad would send his only children into a fight with a mecha giant…"

The Sentinel, registering Evelyn's position, raised its right foot.

"Uh, Evie…" Frankie pointed a finger to the machine behind her.

"You might wanna take a look behind you, sis." Ruby worriedly pointed out.

"What you actually think it's…. gonna…" Evelyn gulped when seeing a shadow come over her. She looked straight up. "Attack us…?"

STOMP

Before they could react, the massive colossal stomped down on the metahuman.

"Evie!" Frankie exclaimed.

Ruby blinked her eyes. "She… Did she get squashed like some bug?"

To their relief, shadows burst out from behind them and Evelyn fell out of it, landing on her rear on the ground. "Oh my God, it's real! It's fucking real! It's unbelievably real! And Dad's psycho! Seriously, we have to fight the Iron Giantess! And our parents are absolutely psycho!"

"Wow, can't believe it's taken this long for her to freak out." Reap commented.

"Yeah, and all it took is a freaking Sentinel." Ruby admitted.

Frankie chuckled. "Did she say… Iron Giantess?"

"Lately every word she says about Earth-2 things, we're left with a shitload of questions!" Magenta complained.

Her host agreed… Mentally.

"Look out!" Evelyn screamed, directing her sisters' attention back to the Sentinel who tore its foot out of the ground. In that same motion, it swung its feet forward and launched several big pieces of asphalt high up into the air.

At the trajectory they flew in and the speed, it was as though they were hurled by catapults.

And when they finally descended, they looked more like meteors!

"Oh shit!" Ruby exclaimed.

Evelyn appeared between her sisters, grabbing hold of their shoulders, before shadowporting away before the boulders of asphalt hit the ground.

The metahuman shadowported behind a pile of debris, the three of them looking over at the Sentinel that looked for them in search.

"Okay, so we have to defeat that thing?" Evelyn asked in a whisper.

"I think so… But, just for the record…" Frankie got her sisters' attention. "Am I the only one questioning whether or not this entire school's got a screw loose for letting their faculty and students fight a literal giant killing machine?"

"You're not, trust me." Ruby admitted.

Evelyn breathed out, light enwrapping her body like a veil and the markings forming around her face. "Rubs, you know this thing better than me and Frankie."

Frankie's eyes sparked with magenta colors. "How do we take it out?"

Cracking her fists, Ruby emitted a short burst of gravity that levitated some objects around her and her sisters. "Mechanical or not, it's got blind spots. We're three and it's one rust bucket. Strike from its blind spots first."

"Think that will work?" Evelyn asked skeptically.

"One way to find out." Ruby said, standing up behind the debris. "I'll lay down some cover fire, you guys jump out and start bombarding that monstrosity."

They nodded their heads, accepting Ruby's instructions. Seeing their confirmation, the gravity manipulator clenched her fists and brought up more pieces of debris. Concentrating the debris around her, she had them spiral around her in the forms of three rings.

Thrusting out her right hand, she launches the pieces of debris like bullets. The moment they were shot off, Evelyn and Frankie rushed off in separate directions. The debris bullets bounced off the back of the Sentinel, not even denting the thick armor.

But it did garner its attention, making the mechanical menace turn around to face the gravity manipulator. Its eyes shining brightly red, having registered its next target to vanquish.

Meanwhile, Evelyn rushed through the path she chose with expert athleticism and agility. She used several big chunks of debris as springboards, jumping off them and swung off of a rebar that stuck out of a side of a building. She sprints across the side of a toppled building, looking like a white blur with her eyes trained on the killer machine's back.

On the other side, Frankie continued to run through her path. Avoiding the flames in her path and the pieces of buildings, purple lightning sparked over her body, and she called metallic objects of all shapes and sizes to her side. Metal came to her side, coming from various decimated stores and out of the buildings that they were inside of, following her like rats following Pied Piper.

Ruby continued firing debris bullets, jumping backward to further the distance between her and the Sentinel. The mechanical menace inches towards the gravity manipulator who now fires her projectiles at its faceplate to damage its optical receptors.

With her "other's" senses expanded to their limits, Ruby managed to get an idea of her sisters' positions and she clenched her right fist. The debris she had circled around her converged to a single point over her head. More debris around her moved towards the same spot, combining with the already-gathered objects and forming a massive boulder.

"Guys! Hit its head!" Ruby exclaimed, shooting up into the air with her gravitational powers and suspending herself mid-air. She swung her right hand, hurling the boulder she created towards the giant's head.

Frankie came to a stop on the side of a building, thrusting out her hands and unleashed a blizzard of metallic objects shooting at blinding speed.

Evelyn came to a stop on top of another building, gathering immense amounts of light in her left hand before thrusting it out and blasting a beam of condensed light.

The Sentinel registered the three incoming attacks from three separate directions. But to the individual speed of them, the technological titan didn't get a chance to move and the attacks connected with its head. A massive smokescreen erupted from the collision, enveloping the machine's head. None of the sisters could get a look through the smoke, preventing them from confirming the state of the mutant-killing machine.

Lowering her hand, Evelyn asked nervously. "Did that work?"

"Not sure." Ruby said skeptically.

"It didn't!" Frankie exclaimed, getting her sisters' attention. "Without its head, it would have fallen already! It hasn't!"

Before they could respond, Ruby glanced down and saw a massive colossal mechanical hand coming for her.

"Ruby!" Evelyn shadowported away from the building. She landed on the palm of the mechanical hand, using it as a springboard to leap towards her sister. Grabbing her, she shadowported before the hand closed in on them to crush them.

Frankie sighed in relief, having been able to see her sisters get away. She looked up, seeing them come out of a smog of shadows and land on top of the building. "Okay, think we were being too naïve to think that would've taken it out."

"Not exactly easy mode, is it?" Evelyn sarcastically said.

"Thanks for the save." Ruby thanked her sister.

"Don't mention it. But what's the plan now?" Evelyn blinked in realization. "Hey, Dad! Can we take this thing seriously?!"

Frankie looked up at her sister. "You wanna go all-out against this thing?"

"Think we can survive this without?" Evelyn countered.

"The hell kind of morons are we." Hearing their sister's words, Frankie and Evelyn turned their eyes to Ruby who stood up to her full height and clenched her fists. "In a real battle, in a life or death fight, there's no one who's gonna give you permission on what to do and what not to do. In that kind of scenario, it comes down to the fighter's decision." She spoke with determination.

Matching her sister's resolve, Frankie gritted her teeth in self-berating. "And if this is a real fight with that thing threatening to destroy this city and us…"

Planting her feet into the surface, Evelyn clenched her fists with conviction. "Bastard's gonna get it this time!"

All three sisters agreed, their bodies becoming overrun with symbiotic mass the next moment.

X

"Wait a second…" Hank asked in shock, trailing off.

Inside of the observing room, Beast was left with a gaping mouth as he took in the sight through the glass and monitors. He wasn't alone. The other X-Men watched the same thing and they were left utterly speechless at what they're seeing.

Charles chuckled. "I see they take after their father in that regard."

Seth smiled proudly. "In that area, yes. Everything else…" He looked over at Caitlin. "Credit goes their mother."

Caitlin smiled proudly herself, holding her boyfriend's hand. "Let's just say it's a mix of us both."

"Now then…" Charles looked intrigued. "Let's see what the Snow-Fury daughters are truly capable of."

Knowing the battles they've gone through themselves, both Caitlin and Seth knew that their children's skills and powers would surpass any and all expectations that the X-Men have.

Now their children… They just had to show it.

X

The Sentinel turned its head around, locking onto the three sisters again. Its optical scanners reexamined the heroes, the three of them bearing new appearances for it to register.

Swiping the long serpentine tongue from its collar, Genysis snarled at the anti-mutant machine behind her mask. The claws on her fingers flexed and the rim of her hood ejecting fangs around it. In her right hand, she tightens her hold on her Chakram blade. Knowing the force and strength of the Sentinel, she would have to resort to everything in her arsenal to damage this thing.

Taking aim with two arrows on her bow, Eclipse kept her eyes locked on the machine. Her four serpentine wings hanging off her shoulders flicking and biting the air with the open mouths on the end of them. Light and darkness emitted continuously from the metahuman's body, imbuing her weapons and her entire body. The markings on her face shone even more than before. She'd use everything she got to defeat that thing with her family.

Clenching her fists, more purple lightning sparked around Magenta's body like electricity. The purple symbiote mass around her shoulders amassed, concentrating on those areas and pulsating with each spark of purple lightning. As though something was trying to break out of the surface of her flesh, trying to tear out to aid the ferrokinetic. She snarled, releasing lightning that resonated with each and every piece of metal in the Danger Room.

The Sentinel, as though it registered new threats with higher priority, clenched a fist and swung it towards the three of them.

"What's the plan then?" Eclipse wondered, imbuing her arrows with more light and darkness.

Genysis looked over her sister, facing Magenta. "You need an arm, don't you?"

"I like the sound of that plan." Frankie said with a snarl.

"Right one, right?" Evelyn asked with a smirk, already knowing the plan and agreeing with it.

"Yeah." Magenta smirked.

The Sentinel thrust its hand forward towards them. Genysis jumped in front of her siblings and gathered up gravitational force in her left hand. The amount of force she converged into her arm was causing the entire charred building to tremble.

But when the mechanical menace's fist neared them, the gravity manipulator swung her left hand and it collided with the incoming hand. The force she gathered pushed through, ejecting from the entire arm in an invisible wave that traveled throughout the Sentinel's arm. Ripples ripped through its left arm, causing several metal plates to protrude and even bolts flying off. To her surprise, the gravitational attack she used pushed the Sentinel back a bit.

A feat that also shocked the rest of those in the observation room.

Eclipse shadowported away from the top of the building. She appeared in front of the machine's face, taking aim with her arrows. Pulling back the string even further, she finally let go of the arrows and they shot off like missiles.

The two arrows traveled through the air, both imbued with powers of light and darkness, and quickly made their way to the machine's eyes, exploding the optical receptors upon impact. The dual explosions to its face caused it to stagger backwards even more.

"Now!" Eclipse shouted to her family.

Hearing their sister's exclaim, Magenta and Genysis leaped off the building and landed on the Sentinel's left arm. They ran across the mechanical appendage at full speed, both of them inwardly shocked at the width of surface of the anti-mutant machine's arm. It was like a traffic lane for them.

The Sentinel stopped staggering, grabbed onto a building, and used it to straighten back up.

"Damn thing won't stay down!" Magenta snarled.

"Then let's make sure you can make it when you get the chance. But for now…" Genysis tightened her hold on her blade. "Make sure it's down on its back."

"Got it!" Frankie accepted, additional symbiotic arms shooting out from her shoulders.

Together, the two of them jumped off the Sentinel's arm and leaped in separate directions. The gravity manipulator set her sights on the right shoulder as planned. The ferrokinetic had her eyes on the core on the chest, hidden under thick layers of armor.

With an animalistic roar from her, Ruby slammed her body down on the shoulder joint with gravity increasing her force. The force of her attack cracked the armor, revealing openings to expose its internal mechanics. Throwing her Chakram Blade into the air she grabbed it with her serpentine tongue. Flexing her fingers, she elongated the claws and imbued them with gravitational force.

Then, like a starving demonic beast released from its cage of eternity of captivity, Genysis unleashed a fury of rapid slashes with her claws and her weapon on the exposed gaps she created. Pieces of wires and armor scattered in every direction as she tore into its shoulder.

While that happened, Magenta landed on its chest plate. The Sentinel struggled to look between the two heroes. But it was the ferrokinetic that garnered its attention as she slammed her hands down on its torso. Her purplish electricity sparked over its torso, spreading like a virus.

With a snarl, her eyes shone brightly like magenta flames and she forced metal from all over the chest plate to amass to her. They tore off furiously, hurling through the air towards her where they stuck to her forearms and her back. The metal surrounding the Sentinel's chest plate was gradually diminishing with each pulse she emitted from her body.

"Fucking rust bucket, you're gonna be scrap when we're done with you!" Magenta roared, continuing to let their opponent's metal plates clad her body.

But a massive shadow in the form of a hand came over her, completely covering her up in darkness. Looking up she saw the Sentinel's left hand coming up over her, intending to crush her with its full force and without mercy.

However, several beams of light shot from the other side, blasting off two fingers of the mechanical hand. The sudden attacks pushed the Sentinel's hand back.

Frankie looked up with a smile, seeing Eclipse take aim with her serpentine wings again. Each of them releasing smog of shadows that replaced the fading shine of light. "I got your backs!" She roared from the building.

"Never a doubt in our mind, sister." Magenta stated, continuing to call metal to her body.

"ARGH!" With a bellowing warcry, Genysis delivered another vicious slash to the armor plating and tore it to shreds. "Got it! Eclipse!"

Hearing her sister's call, Eclipse looked down and saw the exposed parts on the right shoulder. "Finally!" Pulling her wings back, she reeled a hand back and formed a broadsword of pure light. She took a stance, planting her feet into the side of the building.

Genysis leaped into the air, spinning around and pointed her body downwards after suspending herself in the air with gravity, remaining in that very position. Reeling back her right hand, she poured condensed amounts of gravity into her Chakram blade.

Without sharing looks of communication between each other, Ruby and Evelyn shot down from their respective positions, each reeling back their weapons with their eyes set on the mechanical titan's damaged shoulder.

The two sisters shot off like bullets, both of them coming within arm's reach of the machine and simultaneously slashing the exposed wiring. The strength of the combined attacks easily cleaved through anything that maintained a connection between the severed parts.

That combined strike to its limb also pushed the mechanical menace down on his back.

"Got it!" Ruby shouted.

Evelyn turned to Magenta who was still on the Sentinel's chest, metal plates orbiting around her entire body. "Frankie, finish it!"

Through the small gaps between the metal plates circling her, Frankie showed a toothy shark-like smirk at her sister's words before shooting up into the air like a rising metal shooting star. As she hurled herself into the air, she thrust out her hand towards the severed mechanical arm and used her ferrokinetic powers.

Her purple electricity shot out like a bolt of violet lightning. Like an anchor, attaching to the Sentinel's arm immediately. Without her tendrils integrated into it directly, she couldn't lift it. But with her ferrokinetic powers focusing on that arm alone, she could begin tearing it into manageable pieces for her to use.

And with the damage already done to it from Ruby's efforts, she was able to tear the big arm into pieces and left them up to her. The pieces from the Sentinel's arm flew towards her in a hurry, traveling at supersonic speed before meeting the already-gathered metal plates and combined with them.

With a swing of her arm, she directed all of the metal to her right arm. Ruby and Evelyn jumped away to take in the sight of her outstretched arm splitting into tendrils. All of the metallic pieces she stole from the battlefield and the Sentinel's body were enveloped by her symbiotic appendages. Some of the metal combined, reattaching to one another before sticking to her tendrils. All the metal combined and attached to her arm.

When this battle between symbiote-users and Sentinel began, it was the latter's fist that overshadowed them. But now, thanks to the combined efforts of the three sisters, it is now Magenta's hand that can overshadow the anti-mutant killing machine.

An enormous makeshift metallic arm made from the Sentinel's own appendage. Each of its fingers is able to surpass the sizes of any known human in the world.

Frankie's eyes shone brightly with a pulse of magenta electricity, traveling throughout his entire arm. Her tendrils erupt and stick out of the sides of the makeshift arm, giving her already huge arm ominous veins.

Curling the fingers, she formed a huge fist with her Scrap Fist. She shot down from the air, thanks to Ruby's powers propelling her downwards with increased speed. Magenta swings her enlarged and superheavy mechanical arm, aiming from the Sentinel's exposed core.

The Sentinel looks up, raising its arm to defend itself-

PUNCH

But its speed was nothing compared to Magenta's as shown when her huge fist finally made contact with the machine's chest. The explosive force from the attack, reverberates throughout the entire mechanical menace's body, going through it and shaking the entire battlefield and even the air itself.

However, a massive explosion followed next, completely covering the entire area in smoke and fire from the Sentinel's core being destroyed. The fire and destruction swallowed up the entire mechanical arm that Frankie made, causing it to explode as well and sending its metallic pieces flying in hundreds of different directions.

Magenta jumped away before the explosion could take her next. She landed on the ground. "Gotta admit…" She waited for her sisters to come down to join her, which they did the next moment. "This was fun."

"Batshit crazy." Evelyn admitted with a sulking expression.

"But somehow fun, though." Ruby argued.

"Not bad girls!" Seth called out from the observing room. "23 minutes to take down a Sentinel, impressive work."

"23…" Ruby hollowly chuckled. "Felt like an eternity against that thing."

"Yeah." Evelyn fell down to her rear, sitting on the ground.

"Definitely… Strange." Frankie added, watching as their surroundings began to vanish. It was like watching the AI, Gideon, from the Time Vault dissipate. But watching it on a large scale like this is overwhelming.

X

"23 minutes and 47 seconds…" Charles trailed off, a hand on his mouth in shock and disbelief of what he just witnessed.

"What are those kids?" Scott was just as shocked as the founder of the school.

Caitlin looked between the X-Men, seeing their looks of shock. While she understood that it was a big surprise for them to handle such a big foe, and in only about half an hour, she could find something else on their faces that went beyond shock and surprise.

Turning to her mate, she asked. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Turning her head to the other elemental herself, Jean questioned. "Seriously, Seth, what's the deal with those kids?"

"They're different from any recruits that the school has had." Seth told his former teammates.

"But why?" Ororo questioned. "They seem so skilled, but still so young."

Charles, with a disheartened look, admitted, with regret in his voice. "Your children have already seen combat in their life. Haven't they, Seth?"

"They have." Seth confirmed, starting his explanation. "Ruby's been trained ever since she was young to be a hardened assassin. Her skills and abilities in hand-to-hand combat are unrivaled for anyone else at her age, and that's without her powers of gravity or symbiote. Recently, she's been showing aptitude for leading a team if it's just her sisters. She's shown herself to be a great leader in a fight, without a single doubt in mind."

"Evelyn has been surviving on the streets for a long time, survival instincts are engraved into her very being. She's done whatever it took to survive in harsh and unfair situations. Not to mention, even before her symbiote powers came into her, she's trained herself to be a natural athletic and has the honed skills of a seasoned archer, second to none. There hasn't been an obstacle she couldn't avoid or get past. And with her powers of light and darkness, she can shadowport from point A to point B, increasing her strength and her speed as well."

"Frankie's another survivor. She's been in one harsh foster home to another for many years. Mentally, she managed to survive and also learnt how to survive against threats in her own ways. Her adaptability is unlike anything her sisters have, she managed to stand her own in a vicious fight against Carnage of all and that was her first fight ever. She easily came to understand her metahuman powers and her new symbiote powers."

"Together, those three… Trust me, they're some of the best heroes of Earth-1."

The amount of information they just received from the elemental shocked every member of the X-Men, leaving them gasping for air. They have known Seth for many years, starting from his young days even and they know of his journey as Venom, as an agent of S.H.I. . and as a protector of the world. For him to proclaim that about his own children is shocking. But knowing him, he wouldn't tell any lies of his own family like this.

Hank stroked his hairy chin. "These children put most of the newer X-Men recruits to shame with their strength and skills. I almost feel sorry for them."

"They've been training nonstop and they've fought villains of Sinister Six as well as villains from multiple universes." Seth said. "I'll go down and give the girls some water. They need it after that battle they just had. Water still at the same spot?"

Hank nodded his confirmation and the male elemental walked out of the observing room, entering the elevator that quickly closed before taking him down to the lower levels. Once again Beast turned to the monitors. "23 minutes…"

Caitlin heard the blue-haired mutant's words. "Is there something wrong with the time they took to defeat that monstrosity?"

"It's not that it's wrong…." Jean struggled to explain it, even for her.

Ororo took over. "Normally, when we conduct these tests with new recruits, we have teams of five to six mutants take on a single Sentinel."

Turning his head around, Charles added. "And two of them are their teachers, both members of the X-Men to lead the team. And even then, it would usually take something along the lines of an hour to take down the Sentinel at the designated level."

"An hour?" Caitlin understood the mutants' surprise. Her children were able to work faster and better together than a novice team at the school. Even if that team's led by two X-Men. Caitlin was shocked inside.

"Your daughters have shown great skills today…" Charles chuckled. "Must be from the love and care you two have shown them."

Caitlin smiled at the compliment, not denying it.

X

As the elevator descended, Seth leant against the wall and spoke aloud.

"What do you think? Think the girls loved the experience?"

With a loud laugh in the back of his head, his "other" said. "Considering you just send your only children to a sudden match with a mutant-killing colossal, we're sure "love" isn't how they'd describe the experience."

"One can only hope…" Seth said. But he truly hoped that his daughters appreciated the experience. They're combatants, warriors now. Even if they are still young teenagers, their ways of relaxing have greatly deviated from the way ordinary teens would relax.

Some warriors need a dragon to slay to even think about relaxing.

The elevator chimed, the doors opened and the mutant raised his head and his thoughts returned to the back of his mind. He walked out of it; tendrils spouting out of his back and went around the corner. They all return with water bottles enwrapped by the tendrils.

He turned his eyes to the side and saw his children sitting on a bench, panting heavily from exhaustion and fatigue. The drawbacks from that massive fight, albeit a training session, revealed themselves and hit the girls hard.

Shaking the bottles with his tendrils, he got his girls' attention. "How are you three feeling?"

"Tired." Evelyn said.

"Angry." Frankie said.

"Murderous." Ruby said.

"So within expectations…" He threw the bottles to them. The three of them used tendrils of their own to catch them. "Sorry for not giving you a heads-up about that Sentinel fight."

"You're awful, Dad! What kind of father sends their daughters into a fight with a literal Iron Giantess?!" Evelyn screeched. Once done shouting, she drank from her bottle.

The elemental stated. "I figured you three needed to relax a bit after all the hardships you've dealt with."

"With a fight against a Sentinel?" Frankie questioned.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" He said smugly.

"Yes, it did." Ruby answered, speaking for her and her sisters. "But still, we would have liked a little briefing before we had to fight that colossal scrapheap. But is that really why you wanted us to fight that thing? To relax?"

Crouching down in front of his children, Seth told them. "You girls aren't like ordinary teenage girls. You know that, right?" He received nods of agreement from them. "You're warriors now, you relax like warriors do. And for them to be at peace, they usually get into a fight."

"… Dad, think this was a good idea?" Frankie asked, her tone serious on a whole new level. She got the attention of her father and her sisters immediately with that voice. "We still got Eliza and her cronies back on Earth-1, they can run rampant right now and we're not there to stop it. We're the only ones in Central City to stop any of them. If just one of us isn't there, the team's fighting strength's cut down a lot. But all of us are gone, that leaves our team and our city defenseless."

"While I don't argue with the fact that we're the main muscle on our team…" Seth looked between his three daughters proudly. "You three have been through so much. Your mother has been through so much. I figured, this would be a good time for us to focus on ourselves and just relax. Have some family quality time. It's rare."

"So you really wanted us to just relax? That's why you chose this place?" Ruby said skeptically.

"Well, I have a good rep here, if you haven't noticed." Seth smirked.

Evelyn wondered if that was true, considering how his first action when he came here was throwing two of his former students out through the windows without mercy.

But nonetheless Evelyn laughed to herself. "Well, if this place has a training room that can make such life-like combat situations, then it can't be that bad for a vacation spot." She jumped off the bench enthusiastically. Stretching her hands and arms, she said. "Dad, this place gives out good food?"

"Yeah, it does." He assured his children.

He meant what he said, he really wanted his children and his beloved to relax, even for a little while. The five of them are a family and should also spend time on non-hero activities such as family vacations. His children have spent too much of their time worrying about what might happen in regard to Central City's safety, especially as the Sinister Seven and Eliza and her Thunderbolts remain strong. Caitlin spends much of her time worrying about going berserk as Killer Frost, someone she truly fears she will become when she uses her metahumans powers.

They all need time for themselves now, relaxing and not spending more time in a pool of their most feared thoughts…

Mostly why he chose this place…

X

"So how was today?" Seth asked his mate. After eating at the communal area with the rest of the faculty and the students, nighttime had rolled in and everyone moved back to their own room as did they, ready to tuck in for the night.

Getting into the queen-sized bed on the right side of it, Caitlin admitted. "It was… surprising. We didn't see all the mutants and not all the faculties, but it's a welcoming school."

Getting into bed on his side, he nudged her shoulder. "This place welcomes both humans and mutants alike, offering a place where Charles Xavier can help plant the seeds that's gonna help grow and enrich the professor's biggest dream, mutants and humans coexisting peacefully."

"Coexisting…?" Caitlin muttered.

"What is it?" The elemental asked, hearing her mutter.

"No nothing." As though she was trying to avoid any more questions from him, she put a finger on his chest. "But Seth… In the future, last time you ever throw our kids into a fight with a giant mechanical monster like today without my permission, okay?"

The mutant gave a two-fingered salute. "Promise, babe. I won't ever do that again. Figured, with the girls and the way they are, they would need to get all of their stress out of their bodies. Fighting against a massive foe like a Sentinel was the perfect target I could come up with and the girls decimated that thing completely."

"It worked out in the end." Caitlin said. The girls were completely relaxed when she saw them eating and enjoying the company of some of the X-Men members. It was like the weight of the world was lifted from their shoulders and they could finally be themselves.

"But I hope tomorrow won't involve any more sudden deathmatches with machines. Cause most of the students kept asking why Evelyn called us psychopaths." She added.

Both of them wondered why their daughter kept parroting that same sentence over and over again like a broken record.

X

(The next day…)

The next day Caitlin walked through the hallways with her daughters, the four of them having eaten breakfast together in the communal eating room and then making their way to Seth who had woken up earlier.

Going through the hallway, they saw students of various ages walking back and forth. Some enter classrooms and the others continue onwards to other rooms. They found their beloved elemental near the entrance, standing in front of the staircase and speaking with Ororo who was standing on one of the steps.

"It's really good to see you again after so long, Seth." Ororo stated once more.

With slightly blushed cheeks, Seth chuckled. "It's good to see you guys as well, it's been a long time."

Ororo nodded. "Honestly…" Her smile fell, remembering the last year before Seth left this Earth. "Considering everything that happened here and everything that happened to you, I didn't think you'd ever return here."

"Honestly, I had my own doubts, to be honest." Seth admitted. "But I managed to move on. I met someone and she brightened up my world the moment I saw her smile."

"Glad to hear you're doing so well and you're so smitten with this one. I'm really happy, Seth." Storm said. She turned to the side and saw his family coming. "Look who's up."

Following the direction of her eyes, Seth saw his family coming. "Morning, babe." Caitlin greeted them.

"Morning, you guys. Morning, love." He told his daughters and his mate respectively. "Stop right there!" He told them, holding his hand up with his palm facing them, wordlessly telling to halt in their tracks.

The four of them stopped curiously. In an almost comical sense, both he and Ororo watched as the four members of his family tilted their heads to the side at the same time.

Lowering four of his fingers, Seth has his index finger up and looks up at the ceiling, eyeing it suspiciously. "Wait for it…"

"Not long now." Ororo laughed to herself, loving where this was going.

Then…

A moment later…

"WOOHOO!"

A young woman… fell out of the ceiling…

Landing on her feet, the family and the two mutants with narrowed eyes saw the young girl's appearance. The young woman with a slim build, dark hair, and brown is wearing a yellow t-shirt and is wearing blue jeans. Her feet are covered in a pair of black and white sneakers. Her hair's pulled into a ponytail.

Clutched to her chest with an arm is a number of books for her next Biology classes. "This is gonna be hell."

"Oh, you got no idea, Kitty." Seth spoke up.

His family watched her flinch and freeze on the spot at the elemental's voice, slowly turning, in a machine-like manner, to face the direction of where the voice came from.

Kitty Pryde gulped at the familiar sight of her old Biology and Chemistry teacher. "O-Oh… Dr. Rogers. It's good to see you again." She said with another gulp of fear, smiling sheepishly and shaking like a leaf. "How're you doing? You look more… buff…? You've been working out?"

"Nice try, but flattery ain't gonna get you anywhere, Kitty." Seth deadpanned. "Also, you got an hour's detention after classes."

"Oh, come on!" Kitty exclaimed. "You're back in a while and, like, first thing you do is give me detention."

"Well, Shadowcat, you're supposed to not phase through walls or any solid surface in the school. The Professor has told you that many times and you keep doing it, every morning." Seth reminded her. Kitty went to protest, but the elemental added. "Also, do I need to remind you of the times you accidently phase through people with objects in-hand? I still remember when you had my liver shaking… From your phone. I still remember when my liver vibrated to "Call Me Maybe.""

He didn't want to include the times she'd left her toothbrush in his lungs, her pencil between his ribs and her headphones wrapped around his stomach….

He wondered if she did it on purpose though.

"Good song." Caitlin admitted to herself. At that confession, her daughters face her incredulously. "What?"

"And I already apologized for that time… and the other ones… that shall remain unspoken." Kitty sheepishly said. "Now… I got Biology… So byesies!" She ran away in a hurry, like she was being chased.

"Maybe I should've given her two hour's detention." Seth wondered out loud.

"Down, boy." Ororo gave him a playful slap on the back of his head. "Don't show your daughters your bad side."

"Been there, done that, involved a walking and talking shark getting disarmed." Evelyn casually quipped.

Ororo's face paled. "What?"

Ruby looked at her sister. "Probably need some context on that, sis."

"Good morning!" Turning their heads, the six people met the professor who wheels towards them. In his lap are a pair of file folders. Turning to the guests, Charles said. "I hope you four found your first night acceptable."

"It was good, thanks Professor Xavier." Frankie said.

"Glad to hear, my dear child." The professor turned to Seth. "And you, Seth? Were the beds as expected?"

"Like I never left." Seth smiled.

"Funny you should say that." The mutant raised an eyebrow while the professor took one of the folders in his lap. "I was hoping you could do me a favor and teach the Biology classes today, Hank's been too busy with his own subjects and the improvements of the Danger Room. Only two lessons, I assure you."

"Hank's been taking over my classes?" Seth asked, shock in his voice as he stated his question. Charles nodded. "Great, those kids have been getting easy As cause of that softie's teachings." He scoffed under his breath.

"I can assure he has been hard on them." Charles argued. But the elemental gave him a cold glare, staring daggers at the professor. Under the fearsome gaze, the telepath caved. "Most of them got lower grades than usual." Seth narrowed his eyes to slits. "They got A-minus."

"And there it is." Seth took the folder, opening it up to see what the current topic is of that class. "The human immune system and stress. Good, gonna see if those kids have gotten dumber or smarter since I've been gone. Or worse, not listening. If so, I'll give the entire class detention."

"Try not to make that your returning move." Charles asked him in an almost pleading manner. "Last time you did that, some of the students skipped school the next day."

"And I brought them back the same day in no time." Seth countered, taking care of his own mistake.

"Kicking and screaming, I bet. Right, Dad?" Frankie quipped. She broke into laughter when her hair was ruffled by him. "Wait, if you're off teaching what're we supposed to do?"

"Relax. Explore the school and the grounds." Seth suggested. "No sudden deathmatches with mechanical titans today, I promise you three that. The school grounds are massive and wide, you'll find lots of things to explore. Meet the other teachers and students, humans and mutants alike. You're gonna love them."

"Okay. Let's go!" Evelyn, waiting for a single word, ran up the staircase and leaped through the broken windows that were caused by her father.

"She is very excited about this." Frankie smiled, running after her sister and got out through the same exit.

"Wait until she starts stealing from the wrong mutant." Ruby stated, following the same path as her sisters.

"Your daughter struggles with impulse control?" Charles deduced.

"Just like with how Liv struggles to respect the privacy of anyone she meets in regard to reading their thoughts." The elemental quipped. "Okay, I will go torture and enrichen the minds of the young. See you later, babe." He leant towards Caitlin and kissed her.

"You too. Might come and watch Dr. Rogers in action later." Caitlin said. He smiled and looked at the papers again while walking away towards the classroom. He laughed to himself when he saw the schedule for all the teachers….

One name stood out the most.

"Dr. Snow." Charles garnered the Earth-1 woman's attention. "Will you please follow me and Ororo?" Caitlin nodded her head and followed the two mutants. "Now, I understand you may want to either explore the school grounds or spend some time with your children, of course, but I think something else might pique your interest."

"Consider me interested, Professor X." The metahuman admitted.

While she walked beside the Earth-1 woman who's the beloved of Seth Ororo looked at her thoroughly. She and the rest of the school faculty have met the last woman in Seth's life, Stefanie. She was a bubbly young woman, able to bring life and sunshine into any room she walks into. The woman who loved to play pranks on anyone she met, but could never pull a fast one over her mutant boyfriend.

Many said Stefanie Panes was the life of the party. Ororo couldn't argue with that, considering the life and fun she brought into the room was impossible anyone else. The kindergarten teacher and librarian was a ray of sunlight into any room and any person.

Caitlin seemed to have that same effect on Seth, bringing life into his that was clouded by something thicker than smog and smoke. And she seemed to have ended the period of lifelessness that befell their beloved elemental, bringing love and life into his being.

And, perhaps, following her arrival came the three daughters that bonded them together, creating a web for the Snow-Furys to become a family.

Ororo couldn't stop smiling out of gratitude and happiness for whatever brought Caitlin and their daughters into Seth's life. The smile on her face didn't go unnoticed by the Earth-1 metahuman.

"What is it, Ororo?" She inquired with a smile.

"Just… Happy, Caitlin. That's all." Ororo smiled. "I'm happy you're here, happy to finally meet the woman in Seth's life that Olivia and Matt have spoken much about."

"Seth told me about this place a few times, but it's a marvel to actually experience it first-hand. I can't believe a place like this actually exists." Caitlin wondered if this kind of school would be there in her native universe and how the world would take the news of metahumans in their midst.

"From what I've gathered and from Olivia and Matt's tales, can I assume metahumans are still unknown in your world?" Charles inquired.

"They are known, but not everyone who is one comes out and says it. It's understandable though, the ones that the city has seen so far have been mostly villains." Caitlin admitted, clutching her fist in fear. "The good ones are the heroes on our side."

"Like your daughters I presume?" Charles smiled, one that the metahuman mimicked. "You've raised amazing young women, Dr. Snow."

The compliment made the Earth-1 woman smile widely.

"Caitlin, what is that thing around your neck?" Ororo asked, nodding to the snowflake pendant. "It looks too advanced for an accessory…"

Holding up the pendant in her hand, Caitlin admitted. "It's not. It's a power-dampener. It prevents the usage of my powers. It's my decision, my teammates helped build it for me. I'm not… comfortable with my powers."

To her surprise, Caitlin saw the elegant elemental chuckle. "That sound like someone we know?"

"Does remind me of Seth, indeed, yes." The professor nodded. Caitlin formed a curious and confused expression, her thoughts matching her expression which Charles heard. He spoke. "Seth, unbelievable as it sounds, was very uncomfortable with his powers."

"I remember that." Caitlin said, remembering Seth's words to Bette Sans Souci word for word. Able to relate to his words, something she never thought she could. "When his powers first manifested themselves, he was beyond terrified." Coming to a stop, she reached up behind her neck. Ororo and Charles watch closely as she takes off her power-dampening pendant.

In the presence of the two mutant teachers at this school, she felt comfortable and safe enough to use her powers. She was assured that if they ran amok or if she turned into Killer Frost, they'd stop her.

But in her heart of hearts, she knew that one person… Only one person, her cure, would stop her from rampaging…

In her palm, icy mist emitted from the center of it. "He was able to generate fire and manipulate it too. For him, it was fun at first. But his… His fire wanted to own him, control him." As though her frost followed the words she spoke, the icy mist spread around her hand, enveloping it completely and almost causing ice to form. Her ice threatens to take form in a manner akin to a violent blizzard. "It became uncontrollable. One day, it suddenly overtook his entire body. It spread violently…"

Charles and Ororo watched the icy mist travel up her elbow and up to her shoulder, covering her entire arm in a haze of thick mist. Small pieces of ice began to trail off the surface of her hand, shattering upon impact with the ground. "His flames were violent, wanting to burn everything in its path and everyone around him. The worst of it all… His own powers almost burned his little own." Both the mutant teachers remembered the events exactly as she explained them. "When I first saw how I have these powers…. I just got so scared of what I might do to the others once I actually put them to use… I want nothing more than getting rid of this awful…curse."

To her, Caitlin was in possession of not a powerful blessing, but a dangerous power she wanted to get rid of no matter what.

"Then you have to accept one thing, my dear Dr. Snow." Charles got her attention, the icy mist flickering suddenly. "It's your power. You are the one who commands the blizzard." It was as though his words echoed throughout her entire being, making the mist disappear bit by bit. "With your mind and your will, you can command the frost and coldness within you, Dr. Snow. With those in check, you can easily be in control. To be the master of the frost. To use it to protect those that you love, you can become so much more."

Whether it was of her own will or she was doing it subconsciously from hearing the words he spoke, Charles saw the mist completely evaporate and disappear into nothingness. Her hand closed.

Caitlin remembered how inspired she was from hearing Seth's story all those years ago, but now… She felt that same inspiration once again. She finally understood how Seth was able to grow up from such a young age with powers and learn how to overcome any and all fear he had of using them… How he was able to become a hero from their teachings, their care and their love.

This place molded Seth into Venom… The protector she loves.

"Thank you, Professor Xavier." Caitlin smiled, putting a hand to her chest. "I honestly appreciate the words and the guidance you're providing me…" She takes the chain and attaches it behind her neck, putting on the pendant again. "But I still want to get rid of these powers. I've seen my doppelganger, someone with my own face and wielding the same powers, using them to hurt others. She's turned over a new page, but she still… left an impression I guess."

"That may be so, Dr. Snow. But remember this." Caitlin gave the professor her entire attention. "She and you are completely different people. You're different in all aspects except for a few. Do not concern yourself with the path your doppelganger has taken, it's one path she had chosen and it seems she found her way back to the right one."

"What do you mean?" Caitlin asked.

The professor continued on his path, rolling towards a pair of closed doors. As he went to push on it with his right hand, Charles gave the same advice that he has given many, many others.

"Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn't mean they're lost forever."

Caitlin was in shock herself. Much like her mate, the professor refuses to believe that she's lost forever. Even though it's the first time he's ever laid eyes on her, ever spoken with her, he has all the hope in the world and has faith that she will not lose to her powers.

It's like he said, everyone stumbles, fears falling and losing their way, but they still have the chance to correct their path and commit to better choices for the future.

Even now, Caitlin was beginning to see how this place provided hope and guidance for the mutants in this world. "Seth… This place made you into who you are."

"Hope you don't mind this place, though." Ororo said, pushing the other door open and getting the Earth-1 woman's attention back.

When she looked up, she found a library-like room on the other side of the door which enthralled her immediately and she and the mutants entered instantly. Humongous shelves on every side of the room, completely surpassing her in height.

"Is this a library for the students to use?" Caitlin wondered, the days of spending hours and hours in library during college returned to the forefront of her mind.

Storm shook her head. "These are some of the books and journals of the X-Men. Every book here is from a mutant who's a teacher here. Including one you're familiar with…" She trailed off, both she and the professor watching Caitlin inch towards a bookshelf.

She just got a single glance at it, and it was like it's calling her and she was walking towards it.

Three books, covered in black, with initials engraved with strange wording.

"S.R (F)"

Caitlin chuckled. "Seth Rogers- Fury."

"The world within these walls will never hear Seth's real name… But the papers, the books, the journals he's written is gonna go down in mutant history, aiding the future." Charles admitted. "He's the first of mutant-kind to ever commit himself to the art of medicine."

Storm laughed. "The professor here likes to joke about Seth combining the best of humans and mutants together and somehow creating a result that frightens everyone into silence."

"Prove me wrong, my dear, and I will take back my words." Charles chortled. He turned his head to Caitlin who pulled out one of the books. "I have very little doubt that you know Seth in more ways than either of us could. But I figured, knowing how he worked would only enrich your relationship with him."

"Gotta admit." Caitlin held the book in her hands. "I don't think I've ever made an effort knowing Seth's mutant life, both as a doctor or as a teacher. Maybe it's time to change that." She added with a smile. "You don't mind if I stay here for a bit by myself, do you?"

"Of course not, my dear. Take all the time you need." Charles told her.

As Caitlin went to the nearest table, taking a seat in the chair, both mutants walked out of the room to let the metahuman have all the privacy she needed to read in peace and quiet…

Allowing her to delve deep into the journals of her mate.

X

The air breezed over every inch of the massive school, the three Snow-Fury daughters sitting on the rooftop and basking in both the sunlight and air.

The three sisters watched from above, watching the other young mutants have fun. It wasn't as unusual as they thought…

A bunch of boys were on the basketball court, playing a common game of basketball. But it wasn't as usual as they thought, evidently when a boy went to pass the ball to an empty spot, which he teleported to and grabbed the ball. He used that same trick to get the ball and himself closer to the basket before shooting it into it.

Near a body of water, three students were running a race. Two of them were on either side of the water, meanwhile the third one was running across the water itself.

Some climbed trees, some using their hands and some walked up the bark like it was a sidewalk.

"Wow." Frankie said, leaning against the tiles with tendrils holding her up. "This is an incredible place."

"Anonymity is a mutant's first chance of defense against the world's hostility." Ruby said.

"What's that mean?" Evelyn asked.

Ruby looked up at the blue sky. "The world of Earth-616 isn't really accepting towards mutant-kind. I read the government's always discussing mutant-kind in big meetings. I've even heard that students here mostly runaways. Frightened, alone."

"Some of them have powers so extreme that they've become a danger… To themselves?" Frankie asked, leaning forward again.

"Yeah, and those around them." The gravity manipulator nodded. "Those that are here are learning to be accepted, not feared."

Evelyn jumped to her feet, backflipping onto the top of the rooftop. "Think that's how Earth-2 is. S.T.A.R. Labs created those metahuman watches to find and identify metas in the crowd… Think Earth-1 will have a place like this? A haven for the metas on the run? For those in fear?"

"For now, I can't imagine it." Frankie said. "But maybe in the future, we'll have a school like this for metas there too. Maybe it'd be called "The Fury School for Talented Youngsters.""

Her sisters burst into laughter at that name. Evelyn wiped a tear off her eye. "You really think our father would head a school like that?"

"Good point." Frankie chuckled.

Ruby smiled. "Could be cool though-"

"Heads up!" Reap called out to her host.

Ruby, with the aid of her "other," lashed out her right hand and grabbed a basketball coming their way. "Anyone got a good ball joke?" She asked, spinning the orange and black ball on a finger.

"Hey, sorry!" The three sisters looked down and saw a young Caucasian boy there with an apologetic look. He has brown hair and blue eyes. He's wearing a pair of blue shorts and a light-blue hoodie. "Mind if we get the ball back?" He inquired.

With a smirk on her face, and sharing a look with her sisters, Ruby uses her gravity powers and lifts the ball off her finger. The boy watched her twirl her finger around, causing it to spiral in the air. Swinging her hand, she hurled the ball back towards the basketball court.

She had it fly across the field, making the players lower their heads and gasp in shock. The ball reached the opposite basket in a matter of seconds, the other players facing the direction of it. To their shock, Evelyn appeared on top of the basket from a smog of shadows and she kicked the ball away towards the opposite basket.

Landing on that basket, Frankie grabbed the ball and hurled it into the basket with expert agility.

"Wow!" Bobby Drake let out, the other players letting out similar words of astonishment. "You guys don't mess around."

Landing on the ground beside him, Ruby stated. "Well, bright side, you got your ball back."

"Bright side, for sure." He turned to face her. "Name's Bobby. Bobby Drake."

"Ruby Rogers." She announced. "The brunette with pink streaks is Frankie, my sister. The redhead's Evelyn, my other sister." The gravity manipulator noticed a lack of responsiveness from the young man, and she turned to face him. She saw his face devoid of color and his entire body shaking. "What's wrong?"

"Wait… You three are… Dr. Rogers' kids?" Bobby questioned.

Nodding her head, Ruby said. "Yeah, we are. Why?" Taking another look at his face, realization dawned on her. "Ah, my Dad's got you scared shitless."

"I ain't the only one." Bobby remembered the times when Seth would teach him in both classes and in the Danger Room, either one of them would have left him in bandages and with his pride wounded. "Your Dad's like the Devil incarnate."

"Really?" Ruby raised an eyebrow. She was left shocked and slightly speechless by Bobby's words. She's used to her father being caring and loving and gentle to her and her sisters, but to others he's…

A demon.

X

A wave of nostalgia came over the elemental as he walked towards the classroom. He hasn't walked this way in years, after so long of just teaching his daughters, he's forgotten what it's like to teach an entire class of young teenagers.

He was passionate about his teaching, knowing that anything he passes onto his students will enrich their lives and their experiences and even give them goals to work towards. Moreover, he knows whatever he teaches them will pass onto the next generation, and maybe both of them will work towards a better future that embodies the life-long dream that Professor Charles built this very school upon.

"A world where humans and mutants can live peacefully…" Venom scoffed, remembering the professor's biggest dream and hopes. "You really think it can be done?"

Seth mentally scoffed back. Unlike himself, his "other" remained skeptical of that dream. Thinking it was impossible for humans to let go of their fears and accept those that are different from themselves, those born with powers.

Fears are like shackles that only grow tighter and tighter as the person's paranoia grows bigger and bigger. It binds and paralyzes people's body, mind and spirit. And this shackle, much like knowledge, can be passed onto the next generation and only grow from there…

And this cycle repeats itself.

Seth didn't argue that much with his "other," believing that fear is a product that is hard to get rid of. But if fear is truly a shackle, then it will become rustier and rustier with time and one day it will be broken by those with the will to accept and change. Then, as more time passes on, the remains of those chains will turn to dust and be erased from the history books.

And then Professor X's life-long dream will be realized.

"Maybe not in our time, but the next generations will take care of the shackle. Grab it with their hands and tear it to pieces." Seth thought back as he came to stand in front of the door. "Let's give them the knowledge to become better than us."

"That seems unlikely."

Seth chuckled, opening the door. "Morning, kids! Take your seats!" He announced to the students as he entered the classroom, the sound of clattering chairs and tables echoing throughout the room. Without looking, he knew that everyone rushed to take their seats and some were sweating bullets from his voice alone.

Their eyes of different colors and with other unique traits turned to the elemental who dropped his file folders to the table.

Kitty Pryde and Anna Marie shared worrisome looks with one another. The blue-skinned demonic-looking mutant Kurt Wagner gulped, his long tail swiping left and right. Darian and Warren were shaking, both from fear and residual coldness from the water pool they were thrown into. Illyana Rasputina narrowed her eyes, opening her notebook to write down the useful notes from the teacher.

Standing with a smile on his face, Seth looked between the familiar faces of his students. "It's been a long time, folks. Normally, you'd have Hank here but I'm substituting for him cause he's busy with upgrading our toys."

"Long time no see, Dr. Rogers." Rogue replied, twirling a finger through the strand of white hair.

"You too, Anna." Seth gave a nod. "Now, I've looked at your curriculum and I see today we're gonna enter into the territory of the immune system and how stress can affect it. Believe it or not, these two have an interesting relationship. But first…" He looked between his students.

"How'd you think of our immune system?" Seth knew there were a number of answers to that question, but he wanted to hear the students' thoughts and interpretations.

Raising his hand with three fingers, Nightcrawler answered. "Is it like… a shield in our body?"

"Precisely, Kurt. A good answer, too." Seth nodded, pointing a finger at the boy. "Our immune system, whether you call it a shield or even a tiny massive army inside of us, is constantly working tirelessly inside of us to keep us healthy and protected from harmful invaders such as bacteria, viruses and other substances that are harmful to our bodies."

He continued, unaware that his students were captivated by his lecture. "When our body registers any harmful bacteria, viruses or substances, our immune system treats them as threats that need to be neutralized. Kinda like in the sense superheroes identify villains, if you will." Some smiles and chuckles came across the faces of the students. "Now, in our bodies, there are specialized cells, like macrophages and lymphocytes, which work together to intercept these threats."

Raising a hand, Magik questioned. "But what about when we get sick? What happens then?"

"Same principle, Illyana." Seth started. "When a pathogen, virus or bacteria, gets into our body, it's recognized as a foreign substance by our immune system. T-cells and B-cells, also specialized cells, launch an immune response, attacking and countering the harmful invader. Some of these can actually, in a sense, remember this particular threat, so if it is to return in the future, our immune system will respond more quickly, so our bodies can recover even faster than during the initial encounter."

"Then what can actually affect the… effectiveness of our immune system?" Angel questioned.

"Another good question, Warren. And the answer is…. Stress." The elemental replied. "Stress challenges our immune system. We've all been under stress before, haven't we?" It was a rhetorical question, but the students nodded their heads regardless. "We have, right? Well, you see, guys, when we're under stress, our body produces hormones like cortisol, which affects our immune system's responsiveness."

He then adds. "Stress is normal for any living being, even animals, and it can even enhance our performance. But if it's prolonged, stress can suppress our immune system, which makes the body more susceptible to illnesses and too weak to fight back against them. So, what are healthy ways of managing stress?"

Shadowcat suggested. "Reading books?"

Spike followed up. "Regular exercise?"

Angel added. "Eating healthy?"

"All good solutions, indeed." Seth nodded. "Find different ways to alleviate your stress and it helps one's physical state, and reduces the risk of one immune system getting affected."

Facing the students again, he saw how some of them were beginning to take notes and write his words down in ways for them to remember. He smiled at that.

But then Warren exclaimed. "Kurt, seriously, keep that tail from wagging! It's annoying!" He told the devil-looking mutant.

"Oh sorry." Kurt said, lowering his tail.

The elemental told his students. "Warren, don't shout. People are trying to concentrate and you know Kurt's tail does that when he's focusing. And Kurt, tuck your tail under your shirt. Try and keep it in check."

Kurt obliges with a smile, appreciating how Seth was protecting him.

Kitty raised a hand. Seth looked at her. "What is it, Kitty?"

"Dr. Rogers, what about mutants in this regard? They're different from human anatomy." Kitty asked her question while lowering her hand.

Seth turns to face her, but directs the answer to the rest of the class as well. "Remember this, all of you, while we may have powers and are biologically different from humans, we are still very much alike. Just like how human biology can be affected by stress, our biology can be affected as well. Stress affects the human emotional state just as much as us."

"We have extraordinary abilities and stress plays a huge part in how we control our powers." Seth raised a finger, sparking a flame on the tip of it. The students watched with surprise and admiration. "What we possess is what we call abilities, but others could consider them a weapon. Our emotional state plays a huge part in our ability-control. If we're too emotionally overwhelmed or anxious, we could lose control of our powers." To demonstrate his point, he let the flames cover his entire hand. "This could lead to dangerous situations, not just to ourselves and to those around."

"In mutants' case, stress affects our immune system and our control of our powers. So, what would a high level of stress do to a mutant?"

Anna said. "Make it difficult to control their powers, kind of like how stress can impair one's focus."

"Precisely." Seth answered. "Managing one's stress is important for both humans and mutants alike. Remember this… Always."

He hoped that all of his teaching would help his students lead lives that can aid the Professor's life-long dream. If he could, a world of peace and unity could be achieved.

As he thought of the professor, his "other" questioned.

"Where is the old geezer by the way?"

X

"Achoo!"

Professor X used his handkerchief to clean his nose. "Goodness, I hope it's not Seth and Venom complaining about me… Again."

Though the telepath knew Seth and his roommate knew of his telepathy range and capabilities, he also knew that did nothing to stop either of them from saying anything about him behind his back. And he also knew that it was the Klyntar that'd mostly spout curses and insults at him from within the body of the elemental.

"It's good you're back again, Seth." Charles admitted, having missed the elemental greatly.

Knowing the elemental was busy as his girlfriend, the professor wheeled towards one of the rooms on the upper floor. Reaching it and entering it, he rounded the corner and found Ruby Snow-Fury there. The young gravity manipulator was looking over the books on the shelves.

With an unsurprised look on her face, she turns to face the telepathic professor. "Hey, Professor X. What are you doing here?"

Rolling till he stands in front of her, Charles smiled. "Tell me, Ruby. Did you know someone was coming towards this room via your sister's help… Or because of that strange headache you get?"

Ruby widened her eyes. "You… You know about that? How did Dad tell you?"

"No, he did not." Charles told her. "But I've been known to control and read minds since I was a young boy, younger than you are right now, and I've accumulated much experience as a teacher here as well. I know a troubled expression on a young person's face when the source is unknown."

"…" Ruby knew of the Professor's history. One of the brightest and strongest minds on the planet and also one of the most caring and protective people on Earth too. He's devoted his entire life to protecting and safeguarding mutants from this world that both fears and rejects their existence while also trying to make his dream of humans and mutants coexisting peacefully a reality.

Of all the people to trust in the world, with the exception of her parents, he's the one holding the top spot.

And by the looks of Charles' smile, he heard everything going on in her head.

"For a while now… My head's been weird." Ruby admitted with a hand pressed against her head. "It's like a stabbing or as if my brain's hit by lightning whenever I'm about to be attacked or when I can feel someone coming by. And it's not just me."

"Reap, was it? She feels it too." Charles revealed.

Ruby nodded. "I don't know why. It's like my powers have been behaving erratically ever since I got her from my Dad."

"Perhaps not, behaving abnormally as you think, my dear child." Charles stated back, the gravity manipulator facing him with wide eyes. "It sounds like a sixth sense of kinds has been awoken in you, my dear. And it warns you of dangers and anything coming close to your presence."

"I still don't get why it's come to be, though." She said back.

"I have a theory, but for now… Try and close your eyes, Ruby." Charles told her.

Facing him completely, Ruby obliged and closed her eyes.

"Good… Then…. Just Feel…" It was though his telepathic voice was resonating with Ruby's own mind, speaking within her. "Feel the gravitational force within you, Ruby. Feel its ebb… Its flow… Like the tides of the ocean." She felt the force within her, feeling the very force emanating from the Gravitonium that's become part of her very biology. "Imagine it… as a delicate web, its reach vast and can stretch across those very distances." He continued, his words guiding the young woman's understanding.

"Reap is right there within you, my dear." He added. "She offers her own aid. You feel them every time you're out in the field, fighting against various foes. Now do you feel them? Do you feel her senses along with your own? Expanding to new limits that are out of human reach… Seeing and feeling the presence of those nearby?"

"I… Do…" Ruby confidently said, long since accustomed to the feeling of her "other" helping her. "I feel them."

"As expected from such a talented and experienced hero, you're above any and all expectations." Charles praised her. He continued. "Now, let those two powers… Those two streams of water… Let them combine within you. Embrace the heightened perceptions that are granted to you, like a melody of information flooding your mind."

With his telepathic powers, Charles could see that his words are working and the powers of her gravity manipulation and the enhanced symbiote's senses are merging within her consciousness. And unlike before, it didn't seem to have the painful effects on her as it had before.

"How do you feel, Ruby?" He asked her still, wanting to be extra sure.

"It's not painful. I don't have a stabbing pain in my mind anymore, it's like I'm…." She didn't know how to explain it. But her senses are empowered by her gravity now, expanding wider than ever before and she could see and feel things at a range she had never experienced before.

"Careful, Ruby. This merging of powers is still a delicate and not a widely-known territory. If not handled with care… Well, you already know the backfire." Charles chuckled.

Ruby smiled, still with closed eyes. "Yeah, lightning-stabbing pain in my noggin."

Charles continued. "Try and focus on a specific target… Something or someone you wish to track. Picture them in your mind, Ruby." He urged. "Imagine the gravitational pull they exert on the world around them, and let that… Be your foundation for your tracking sense."

The gravity manipulator's brow furrowed in concentration, her mind delving deeper into this newfound mental state. She could feel her mind and that of her "other's" expanding in unison to encompass a wider range of perception. Then…

As she tried to accept the expansion of her powers, an electrifying surge of energy shot through her mind with the force of a lightning bolt, momentarily making her wince.

"Calm down, Ruby." Reap said, feeling the pain as well but sending out waves of soothing sensations to ease the pain. "I'm here to ease the pain you're feeling. Trust me, and focus on those you want to find." She added, hoping that by focusing on a new target she would be able to counter the sensation of this overwhelming drawback.

"I…" Suddenly, after several moments passed, the young powered girl adapted to the intensity of the fusion from her powers and she smiled. "I can see them." With her closed eyes and her expanded senses far beyond what she previously thought possible, she could see them in her mind.

"I can… I can see Dad… Screaming at his students." Ruby admitted with a smile, seeing and feeling what her father's doing at this moment. Charles did not like that piece of information, remembering that he told Seth to do better. "I can see Mom, she's… Reading books. She's got three of them on her table." Charles was surprised she even got the number of books correct. "I can even see Frankie and Evelyn up on the rooftop… Eating chocolate bars… They even saved one for me." Charles could see they're good sisters. "And I can…" This time her eyes snapped wide open. "No way!"

"What is it?" Charles turned her head.

But to his surprise and shock, the gravity manipulator ran past him and exited the room in a hurry.

"Wonder what she sensed…" Charles wondered.

X

The doors almost flew off the hinges when Ruby burst through them. She rushed out of the room and made her way to the platform on the staircase connecting the upper floor to the ground floor.

The gravity manipulator came to a stop when she saw him. "M-Miles!"

Hearing his name, the young spider-hero turned around and looked at the staircase. A wide smile came across his face at the sight. The familiar hero of African-American heritage had his brown eyes locked onto the gravity manipulator.

He was wearing a pair of red sneakers; his pants are black and his torso's covered in a red t-shirt. Miles has a hoodie over his clothes. When he finally saw Ruby, he ran up the stairs like a speeding bullet. He reached her in less than seconds and he immediately wrapped her arms around her.

"God, I didn't think I'd ever see you here, Ruby." He smiled widely, unable to stop himself.

"Guess I know how to surprise my boyfriend then." Ruby chuckled, her arms wrapping around him tightly. She put her head on his shoulder. "I… I missed you, Miles."

"I missed you too." He admitted, both of them embracing one another lovingly. Weirdly enough, Miles felt something wet hit his shoulder… The very one Ruby's head is perched on. He pulled out of the hug, giving her a look and his eyes widened with sadness when he saw tears trailing down her face. "Ruby, what's wrong?"

"It's just…" She sniffled. "I've missed you and I've wanted to talk to you for a while."

"I'm here." Miles cupped her hands. "I promise. I'm here."

For this vacation to Earth-616… Ruby was way more thankful now than ever…

X

Exiting the classroom as the first one, Seth held the door open for his students to exit after two lectures of Biology from him. "Nice job, everyone. You've improved enough to survive these two hours. Not bad."

While he spoke, he realized that not a single student had exited the classroom yet and he looked inside for a short peek. He raised an eyebrow when he saw that most of them looked dead and could barely move. The others had their heads pressed to their tables as though their brains had been turned to mush.

Seth gave a sigh. "Hank, this is what happens when you go soft on the students. Once you give them a real lecture, their brains can't handle it and they shut down."

He figured that they needed some time to relax for their brains to restart before they could resume the rest of their classes for the day. Closing the door, he walked towards a nearby classroom where the door is wide open.

And due to the entrance being open, he could clearly hear the voice of the teacher and he smiled at the voice he recalled.

"And remember kids, I expect you all to actually commit to your homework! Next time, I see you without any finished homework, I'll have you guys doing suicide sprints in P.E. and you'll be doing pop-quizzes and essays for every class you have with me…"

Unlike his students, her students weren't so out of life as shown they all ran out of the classroom in a hurry. Despite him nearing the door, none of them faced him, having already spent a single hour with another dangerous teacher.

When the final student finally came out, the elemental leaned against the doorframe and looked into the classroom. "Guess the students love you?"

With a chuckle, she turned her head and faced her big brother. "Well, pretty sure "love" isn't the word they had on their minds when I started telling them to do better with their homework."

It's been a long time since Seth's laid eyes on his baby sister, not since the Dominator invasion on Earth-1. She hasn't changed much since then. She was clad in an open red hoodie with dark blue jeans and a purple shirt underneath it. Her long magenta hair was pulled into a ponytail.

She removed her glasses from her blue eyes. Olivia Fury-Stark only wears her glasses when she's teaching classes. Pocketing her glasses, she crosses her arms and says. "You know, I heard a lot of praying going on in the minds of your students. Think they were praying for mercy."

"Funny, I didn't hear any prayers in my name." Seth smirked. "Guess they didn't pray hard enough."

Laughing at her brother's bad excuse of a joke, the psychic ran towards him and hugged him tightly. He responded with his own arms wrapping around her form. "It's so good to see you again, Big Bro."

"You too, Bubble." Seth smiled. "It's good to see you again." Pulling out of the hug, he said. "But I'm guessing you already knew I was here."

"The professor told me about you and the rest staying here when I swung by this morning." Olivia stated. "It's good to feel you, Caity and the girls here. Speaking of the girls, it looks like Ruby's reuniting with her boyfriend."

"Miles is here?" Seth asked in surprise while his sister used her powers to gather up her folders and files.

"Yup." She nodded, levitating her objects back into her hand. "And he's not the only one. Come on." The psychic led her brother out of the classroom. "So I know you guys came, but the "why" you came? That's what I'm unclear about."

"Had a harsh adventure on Earth-2, involved a lot of telepathic gorillas and a rescue mission." Seth said.

"So the usual." Olivia quipped.

"Yeah, and we wanted to replace that experience with a good one and the girls needed time to relax after all the events they've experienced." Seth stated.

"Sounds like things haven't been easy on them, for Caity… Or for you." Olivia said. She didn't even have to use her powers on him, her brother's face spoke volumes. "Need a hand with it?"

"No. Not necessary." He assures her. "It's our mess now. What about your kids?"

"Matty's taking care of them at home." Olivia stretches her arms. "We agreed we'd take a little break from S.H.I.E.L.D. missions to focus on the kids. He'd take a bit of a stay-at-home dad role while I retake my old teaching position here at the school."

"You're still on missions? Fighting villains?" Seth figured she would have taken a break from those activities.

"Angel Fury doesn't take breaks. No matter how many times I hit the pavement, I always get back up." Olivia smirked. "Know the feeling, right?"

"Just like how Dad taught us, yeah." Seth smirked.

"You guys don't mind a third wheel, do you?"

The Fury siblings came to a halt, both snapping their heads straight-up and blinked at the figure stuck on the ceiling. Crawling over their heads and rappelling down on a webline is none other than Peter Parker, wearing a dark-red flannel shirt and brown pants. He's not wearing his Spider-Man so his entire head's exposed to the rest.

With him hanging upside-down in front of the siblings, he asked the elemental. "Don't tell me you are here because of another alien invasion, Seth. Cause I think this old boy can only handle two invasions in a lifetime."

"Wimp." Seth countered.

"Maniac." Peter countered with a smirk.

"Down, boys." Olivia said, worried their arguments could break into a massive back-and-forth of insults. "And no, don't worry, Pete, Seth and his fam is just here to relax. Have a little family time here in this quaint place."

"Goodie." Peter let go of the webline, landing on his feet and stood up to his full height. "And here I was hoping to take another crack at a Dominator."

"Yeah, right." Seth didn't believe his words. "Think we're that gullible, Parker? You're dead-wrong."

"Worth a try, though." He said.

"What brings you by anyway, Peter?" The elemental asked. "Why aren't you out fighting thugs, webbing up journalists and taking selfies with supervillains?"

"Okay, that happened once!" Peter said defensively, berating himself from revealing the details of his date with MJ long ago. "Also, don't tell MJ, she's gonna hate me for that." Seth showed a hyena-like smirk. His smile didn't set well with the spider-hero who answered. "I come here every now and then to assess the Danger Room upgrades. This time I brought Miles along for the ride, but..." He sheepishly laughed. "I somehow lost him."

"Good thing you did, cause my niece found him." Olivia smirked.

X

Sitting on the rooftop, Miles and Ruby spoke with one another. The former gave a tissue to the latter so she could dry her tears. "Thanks. When'd you start carrying tissues like an old man?" The gravity manipulator laughed while drying her eyes.

"My Mom always said to use the habits of the old to impress someone important." Miles retorted. Ruby laughed, having dried her tears. "Um, I hope… I hope your tears aren't because of me. I know I don't visit much, but it's kinda hard to travel over 600 universes."

"It's not, Miles. I promise." Ruby assured him. "I just… Things haven't been easy on Earth-1 and… I guess, I…"

"You felt pressured and blamed yourself for it." Miles finished her sentence, knowing how she's feeling better than most her age. "I'm Spider-Man, remember?"

"…A friend from school got into some trouble and we tried to prevent it. He's basically a puppet on strings, controlled by this psychopath and rampages on her command." Ruby sighed heavily. "We tried to help him, but it didn't go well. My dad, my sisters and I, we couldn't do anything against Eliza's control on him or against Anti-Venom. I feel like… No matter how hard we try against them, we're just coming up short."

"I'm sorry, Rubs." Miles leaned closer to her side. "I know it's hard. I mean, recently, Peter's been asking me to protect the city alone every now and then. He wants to see if I can handle the workload, and it's hard." Miles ran his hands over his face. "Honestly, all the new things I learn, I feel like it's nothing up against these villains I meet every day." Using her own words, he says. "No matter how hard I try against them, I'm coming up short."

"Guess we're in the same boat." Ruby smiled, feeling her worries and the weight on her shoulders lighten from his mutual understanding of her situation.

Miles gave her a look. "Ruby, you…" She looked at him. "If I ask my parents really nice and yours, and they're okay with it, would you like me to come by and help with your Earth-1 situation?"

Ruby gave him an appreciative look. Miles Morales. The second Spider-Man of Earth-616. Despite not having it easy himself with his own endeavors. He wasn't the only one leading this kind of life, so he wasn't the only one with such struggles.

And yet, despite his own struggles, he wants to know about her struggles and wants to prioritize her struggles above his own.

It showed how much he cared about her… And it made her heart skip a few beats.

"Thanks, Miles. It means a lot." She leant closer to him, pushing herself with gravity. "But this world, this city needs both of its Spider-Men. Our world will stand their ground. Besides, we got our own good heroes like…"

"You." He nudges her shoulder playfully.

"Well, at least you still remember a good hero when you see one." She says in mock smugness.

"Never forgot you." Miles countered playfully. He flinches when he feels something on his hand. A streak of redness crossed his cheeks when he looked down and saw Ruby's hand over his. He looked up and saw her looking at him. "I've… I've really missed you, too."

"Me too. I mean, I missed you." She clarified embarrassedly.

The two shared a wide smile, both leaning forward at the same time and pressed their lips against each other's.

"Ruby and Miles…" The two snapped their heads back at that teasing song they both know. Turning their heads around, they saw Evelyn smiling at them like a hyena. "Sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

"Shut it!" Ruby shouted at her sister with tomato-red cheeks. "I will kill you, Evie!"

"Oh, calm down! No sororicide, okay." Frankie said as she walked up to their place. She takes a seat on it. "Nice to see you again, Miles."

"You guys too." Miles said, hoping that the blush on his cheeks is gone by now. "Glad to see you all again."

"Likewise, Miles." Evelyn sat really close to Ruby's side, pushing her against the spider-hero. "How's your training with Jessica going?"

"Fine, still going back and forth between her and Peter. But I'm doing good, I'm learning a lot." Miles stated.

Much like the Snow-Fury sisters, he was very happy to be around super-powered people his age. Not many could talk with those who are the exact same as themselves, especially in the superhero business. He was very happy about it, even more so as he's able to talk with his girlfriend again.

It meant the world to him.

X

"Caitlin's where?" Seth asks his sister as the three of them walk towards the location his mate is at.

"She's in the library room where the Professor stores all of our subject books." Olivia smirks. "Including the books you used to write a long time ago."

Seth snapped his head to her in surprise. "You talking about my medical journals?" Olivia nodded. "Huh, figured the professor would've thrown them out or put them in storage or something."

"You're an idiot if you think the professor would throw out any of our books." The psychic throws back at the elemental. "He treasures any and all work we've done here. You know that, dumbass."

"Calm down, Bubble. Haven't seen the guy in a long time, after all." The elemental reminds the psychic.

The spider-hero had his arms behind his head as he chuckled. "Never a Fury sibling meeting without the two of you bantering and insulting one another."

"Sounds like you missed the two of us." Olivia chuckled.

"Maybe, until the blood and fists start splattering and flying all over the place." Peter said, very convincingly.

"Oh, can it!" Seth and the others reached the room. The elemental pushed the doors open and entered the room. Looking into the room, he saw Caitlin completely immersed in her reading. "Hey, love."

"Huh?" Caitlin looked up, she saw her mate, his sister and Peter there. "Oh my God, guys! How long have you been here?"

"Just came, Caity. Now come here, hug your favorite psychic!" Olivia said as she walked over to the Earth-1 woman. Caitlin obliged with a wide smile on her face, wrapping her arms around the mutant warmly. "Well, there it is. I'm happy to see you, Caity. Doing some light-reading?" She said, glancing down at the open book on the table.

"Yeah, and it's the only book I've read so far." She asks. "And I still don't get the approach here, Seth."

"Which operation are you talking about?" Seth asks as he sits down on her side.

"Oh, I won't say no to a bedtime story." Peter jumped onto the table, sitting down on the surface cross-legged and leant forward.

Caitlin returned to her seat and looked at the page again. "It's this one about a patient of yours that was in a car crash."

"Marc Lee." Seth said, remembering the name of the patient like it was given to him yesterday.

"Yeah, him. He was in a car crash and bone fragments had hit his spine." Caitlin said. "And you managed to remove all the bone fragments from his spine. A procedure other doctors couldn't perform and by then dozens of doctors had already deemed it impossible to do the operation."

"17 doctors to be exact." Seth clarified. "And yeah, kid wasn't that old, 19 years old and he thought his life was over."

"But it's a highly complex and delicate procedure, Seth. The risks are significantly huge, any outside factor could've ended his life. And most, including myself, would try to manage the patient's symptoms and prevent further damage instead of thinking of removal of the bone fragments. How'd you do it?" Caitlin asked.

The elemental put his hands together, interlocking his fingers. "Every second we're here, S.H.I.E.L.D. is developing tech that is inaccessible to the public and even more advanced than anything they got in their institutions. The same happened all those years ago when I caught wind of this kid."

Caitlin's eyes widened in realization. "You used S.H.I.E.L.D. technology on him?"

"Dad got super-pissed at Seth using newly developed S.H.I.E.L.D. technology on this kid without permission from him. Matt helped move the kid from the hospital to the facility." Olivia said, remembering the time her dad was practically fuming at the time.

"The technology allows the doctor to penetrate flesh and skin with lasers, thin enough to only leave puncture marks on the patient but generates enough heat to melt bone fragments as long as they're the specified target. A secondary set of needles is used in tandem with this laser, applying a gel made from the patient's bone tissue to facilitate bone healing and regeneration."

"It's applied where the melted bone fragments were…" Caitlin realized. "And it worked?"

"Ask Marc Lee. Right now, he's readying himself for another marathon again." Seth revealed. When he returned to the mansion, he looked up his previous patients to make sure they're still happy and healthy. Thankfully, they all are.

"Can't believe you used new tech like this on a kid?" Peter voiced his thoughts.

"It was the only way for those innocents to live on. It's unorthodox but better than letting the alternative happen." Seth argued. "I got nothing against breaking the rules to help people."

"Really thought Dad was gonna demote you." Olivia laughed.

Seth raised an eyebrow. "He kind of did, he did have me and Matty pull the night shifts on guarding Blonsky's cryo-cell in Alaska." That memory made the elemental shiver.

"Who's Blonsky?" Caitlin questioned.

"Evil-Hulk, just spikier." Peter stated humorously. Caitlin did not find that helpful at all.

The icy metahuman looked at the books she hasn't looked at yet. "And there are still many books I haven't looked at yet. I should come by more often."

"Looks like someone's smitten with Earth-616 now." Olivia stated.

Caitlin smirked, facing the source that had smitten her with the Earth-616 affection she's suffering from. Granted, it's not something she dislikes. "You're not entirely wrong, I guess."

Seth winked. "Then I'm diagnosed with a severe case of Earth-1 Love."

"Don't make jokes like that, it's cheesy." Venom argued.

"Wait… What's that sound?" Caitlin stood up, hearing what felt like rhythmic heavy thudding.

"Wait, isn't that…?" Olivia saw a tired and annoyed expression on her brother's face as he too recognized the sound and why it came from inside the school.

"Goddamn cat guy's back." Seth scoffed, several veins popping on his forehead.

X

As the first person to greet him, Storm couldn't help but smile at the group entering their school. Well, to be more exact, she smiled at the person leading the group.

The sun had slowly dipped below the horizon, bringing an orange glow over the school and anticipation filled the air both inside and outside the mansion. The elemental was the first one to hear of her husband's surprise visit to the school, and she spread them to her fellow teachers.

She, along with Jean Grey, Charles Xavier, Scott Summer, Hank McCoy waited in front of the open doors of the mansion, placing themselves in front of the staircase. All of them were used to his visits and always waited here as the first to greet the royals of Wakanda.

And their waiting came to an end when the familiar sound of powerful vibranium engines echoed through the grounds, releasing loud and strong winds into the mansion. The sounds grew louder with each passing moment, but they were used to it. Then out of thin air, a sleek and highly advanced Wakandan aircraft revealed itself and landed on the ground carefully.

The undercarriage opened up, lowering a ramp which was used by a formation of familiar warriors.

The Dora Milaje…

This elite group of warriors serve as the all-female special forces for Wakanda. They all serve as the Wakandan royal guards. They're clad in vibrant red armor that's shining in the fading light and is highly protective, each guard is wielding a Vibranium Spear that is as tall as themselves.

The first ones to enter are the seven royal guards, six of whom each stood on either side of the entrance while the seventh one, was their general, Okoye. Standing with an air of authority that intimidated many, she exuded power and dominance with her gaze and stance alone.

Even the three Snow-Fury daughters and Miles on the upper level watching from above were feeling every ounce of her dominance. "That's the Dora Milaje…" Ruby muttered in shock.

"Who?" Frankie raised an eye in confusion.

Before any questions could be asked, the general of the Dora Milaje slammed her spear against the ground several times, getting the attention of everyone near them. "The Prince of Wakanda, Prince T'Challa, son of King T'Chaka and Queen Ramonda, future sovereign ruler of the nation of Wakanda and wielder of the Black Panther mantle, have arrived!"

Stepping to the side, the man she spoke highly of himself stepped forward slowly. He entered the foyer with an aura of quiet strength. Despite the title of Prince being his, he is exuding the wisdom of a king and the prowess of a great warrior. Adorned in the traditional royal clothes of a cutaway coat, with silver-ish embroidering on the front and sleeves, the Prince met his wife's eyes with great pride and joy.

Coming to a halt, Prince T'Challa asked his wife. "I do hope my sudden visit is not unwanted or unwelcome."

Ororo stepped forward, nodding her head in greeting to the royal guards before facing her husband. "Never, my love. It is always a pleasure to have you swing by. And the same goes for all Wakanda." She added, referring to the royal guards standing ready to attack any foes in order to protect their king at any cost. Their eyes went to their king's beloved and each of them showed a caring smile.

Okoye bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you, beloved of the Prince."

Rolling her eyes, the elemental mutant reminded her. "Okoye, please, you've known me for a long time now. You can call me by my name."

T'Challa chuckled. "Believe me, beloved, I've tried myself many times. But my general is as resolute with her formalities as she is on the battlefield."

"Such is my role, my Prince." Okoye tells him unwaveringly.

Charles Xavier rolled forward. "Prince T'Challa, how wonderful it is to see you again."

"You as well, Professor Xavier." T'Challa looked back at their aircraft. "As always, I do apologize for the ruckus our arrival causes."

"No worries, Prince T'Challa." Charles assured him, finding it highly unlikely for the Wakandan royalty to transport by public means such as a taxi or a bus. His personal bodyguards, especially his general, would not allow that.

"I am thankful as always to come to this school, Professor." T'Challa said with a smile. "I am always thankful for any and all chances I get to come and visit this fine establishment and its great facult-"

"Oh, great. It is the Royal Feline."

Any sign and ounce of royalty the Prince exuded before had vanished instantly at that sound of his voice. The color drained from the faces of the school faculty when they registered his voice, all of them fearing the worst fate had befallen their school now. Even the Dora Milaje tightened their holds on their spears, readying themselves for a fight. Their general scowled, remembering the voice of that one person.

Gritting and grinding his teeth together as if to fight back his worst impulses, the Prince turned his head mechanically slow. T'Challa's eyes widened and his mouth formed a scowl at the sight. He placed his eyes on Seth Fury who was on the upper level of the staircase, standing with the familiar faces of his baby sister Olivia Fury-Stark and Peter Parker along with a brunette he wasn't familiar with.

And much like his own scowl, Seth was facing the prince of Wakanda with a grimace of his own. T'Challa started. "Seth… What brings the foulest doctor in all of the world back here?"

"T'Challa… Still playing the role of an overgrown cat in leather? Aren't you too old to be doing cosplay?" Seth countered, several veins popping out of his skin.

"Better than the slithering mess you always are." The Prince clenched his hands.

"Don't get too cocky, you royal-pain-in-the-ass!" The Lethal Protector said, putting a foot on the railing while clenching his hands.

Stepping away from his wife, T'Challa flexed his hands. "Is that a challenge, hazardous beast?" The Dora Milaje followed his gaze and turned to face the direction Seth is standing in.

Caitlin, Olivia and Peter saw the wooden railing crack from the pressure Seth's applying to it. "Like you can handle me, Cat boy?"

"What is going on?" Caitlin whispered to the psychic.

"Don't worry…" Olivia cracked her neck and her hands.

Flexing his hands again, this time T'Challa's iron fang-like necklace shone before releasing Vibranium nanobots over his hands, covering his sleeves and transforming them into gauntlets with claws. "Challenge accepted!"

"Bring it!" Seth shot off the upper level like a missile. T'Challa leaped from the ground.

"Dad!" Frankie shouted. Her sisters did not know what to say or do as they saw their father rushing to meet the prince's attack. Miles and Ruby watched with amazement.

The X-Men were about to join in, stopping the two from colliding. The Dora Milaje was about to enter the fray as well, ready to defend their king.

…

…

But psychic pinkish energy ensnared both Seth and T'Challa, encasing them both in huge cubes that are suspended mid-air. Both of them looked around, finding themselves in strange but familiar psychic constraints.

Furthermore, when they faced each other through their respective psychic walls, both of them found themselves on the sharp end of what appears to be pink energy blades. Looking at their owner, they see that it's Olivia who has an arm stretched out at them both and her psychic energy channeled into her hands, extending out into energy blades aimed at their faces.

"That's a new one…" Seth raised an eyebrow.

Olivia glanced at her brother. "What? You're not the only one improving, you know. Also, Seth, could you maybe try not to cause another international crisis with Wakanda? Think the Professor wants to say the same." She looks at the other telepath who nods his gratitude before sighing in relief.

Turning her head around, she faces T'Challa. The Prince chuckles. "Olivia, pleasure to see you again. Did not think my greeting to you would be through a cage."

"Don't take it personal, Chally." Olivia smiles, using her nickname for the prince. "But I don't want my nieces to see a fight erupt between their father and the literal royalty of a powerful nation. Besides, aren't you tired from almost risking a crisis with S.H.I.E.L.D… Again?"

The prince blushed embarrassedly at his errors. Olivia sighed, feeling like she's scolding a pair of children, despite one being her elder brother and the other one is the prince of a powerful nation. "So how about I let the two of you down and out of your cubes, and you actually greet each other without weapons in-hand and without the need to tear into each other?"

Sharing a look, both Seth and T'Challa gave a sigh of annoyance before retracting their hands. The Prince retracted the nanobots that formed his gauntlets and the elemental put his hands in his pockets. "Good." The psychic released them from their cubes, both landing on their feet at the same time. "Now greet…"

Looking at each other with a scowl, Seth started.

"Cat bastard."

"Hazardous plague." T'Challa retorted.

"Best I can get out of them both." Olivia deactivated her psychic blades with a sigh. She turned her head to the Dora Milaje, all of them having their spears pointed at her and her brother. "You ladies mind putting the Vibranium sticks away? There are kids here." She nods in the direction of her nieces who are left awestruck by the sight.

"For the crimes you've just committed, you think you're entitled to an opinion?" Okoye stated, taking aim with her spear at the psychic's head. "You raised a blade to the Prince's head, as well as restraining him. And your brother, he attacked him."

"Okoye, come on. We've done this dance dozens of times; I'm not scared of your sharp pole." Olivia said tiredly. "Besides, hadn't I had put Chally and my brother in cubes, both of them may have risked involving the students."

"Olivia is right, Okoye." T'Challa told his general. "I am just as at fault as Seth. I acted impulsively. Please, lower your arms." He tells his soldiers. They nodded their understanding, respecting their prince's words and lowered their weaponry. "Besides…" He turned his head to the elemental. "I suppose putting Seth in his place in a proper match would be more preferred than anything else."

"Keep dreaming, T'Challa. I'll remind you of reality any day and anytime." Seth countered.

With another sigh, Olivia said. "You two never change, do you? Also, Peter, were you about to jump in?" She shot a glare at the spider-hero who's standing on the ground floor as the others. None of them, except for the psychic, knew he had even moved.

Peter looked like a deer caught in headlights as he said. "Ah, I mean… Figured these two needed to be stopped immediately, and I could help."

Olivia wondered how the hell Peter Parker was able to keep his identity as Spider-Man a secret when he's this horrible at lying. "Ah, boys…"

"Ah, Liv." Caitlin got the psychic's attention. "Mind filling some gaps? Who are these… People?" She gestured to the Prince and his incredibly angry escorts with spears.

"Oh right, you don't know, with these being from this Earth." Olivia said, her words confusing the Wakandans. "These fine folks, except for the guards who need lessons in proper mannerism, are from Wakanda. It's an isolated country here on Earth-616, located in Africa."

Ruby jumped in. "That's not even the biggest thing about them. They're one of the most technologically advanced nations on Earth."

"Really?" Caitlin asked. Her daughter and her mate nodded at the same time. "And they don't seem to be fond of you, Seth."

"Well, we have history." Seth said with a smirk.

"Wait, a minute…" Ruby's face broke into a smile. "Wait, Dad, are the rumors true? Did you actually invade Wakanda?!"

"… Ruby, you really know your stuff sometimes." Seth sheepishly said.

""Dad?"" The Prince of Wakanda muttered. "Is that your child, Seth?"

"Along with the two other girls up there, yeah." Seth glanced at their position and saw Miles standing close to Ruby. "Miles, long time no see. Thanks for last time."

"Good to see you again, Seth, and it was my honor." Miles politely said, scratching the back of his head.

"And Ruby…" Olivia chimed in. "The rumors don't tell the full story of what happened. But simply put, your old man invaded Wakanda for my sake."

"Say what?" Frankie asked.

Before they could continue, Ruby lifted her head up and she looked at the upper windows over the entrance. "Something's coming…"

"What?" Caitlin turned to her daughter. "What is it, Ruby? And how do you know?" Was her new ability manifesting again?

"I just do… And it feels familiar?" Ruby admitted.

"Familiar…" Charles questioned.

Olivia rolled her eyes, feeling the mind of the person incoming. "Yup, it's a familiar one. And I'm married to him."

At those words everyone knew who it was instantly and they then heard the familiar sound of jet thrusters getting louder from outside. Seth, Peter and T'Challa scoff at the sound, realizing who is coming.

And his figure became more visible when he neared the school.

SHATTER

And the figure, instead of using the very open doors of the mansion, flew through the windows and landed on the floor. The familiar armored man in a black hooded cape has lapis-blue energy pulsating and shining through his armor. The man underneath the hood has a mask that resembles that of a knight's helmet with blue light coming out of the visor. Underneath the cloak the armor's shown to be a mix of pitch-black and lapis-blue.

Pulling off his hood, the helmet retracted into nanites and Matt Stark showed his face with a scowl. "Where is he? Where is that damn- Oh! Fuck me in the Alps!" He exclaimed when he realized T'Challa and his Dora Milaje were standing there. All of them facing him with looks that told them they were ready for a fight with him. "The hell are you doing here, T'Challa?"

"I could ask you the same." The Prince retorted. "Didn't think a criminal of Wakanda would dare to show himself like this. Perhaps, I should take this chance to throw you in the pits of Wakanda…" He said, taking a fighting stance.

"Try it! But that's gonna be after I put Seth in the ground!" Lashing out his arms, he aimed a repulsor cannon at both T'Challa and Seth.

"How about I tear you both to pieces instead?!" Seth ignited flames on both of his hands and took a fighting stance himself.

"Wow! Wow! Wow!" Peter aimed a hand at both Seth and Matt. He's happy he's got his web-shooters equipped on his wrists. "Guys, let's calm down! Just calm down for a second."

Caitlin looked between the four of them with a look of surprise. A prince, a spider-hero, a nanite mutant and an elemental mutant standing in a square, ready to fight each other at the drop of a hat and the others are acting like it's nothing out of the ordinary. "Um, what is going on?" She questioned the psychic.

"Two of them I can manage, four's above my paygrade." Olivia said, walking up the stairs and went to her nieces. "Hey girls."

While the psychic embraces her nieces, Charles reaches out to the four troublesome boys with his telepathy. "Boys." The four of them turned their heads, facing the professor who continues communicating with them telepathically. "While I am pleased you're all excited about this… "reunion," I have to ask you all not to act erratically which could damage the school and endanger the lives of the students and faculty here."

While squeezing the lives out of her nieces, Olivia jumped in telepathically. "AKA, keep your dicks in your pants and actually behave like reasonable adults and not trigger-happy Nerf-loving morons!"

Unlike the professor, Olivia screamed her words into their minds like a drill sergeant, making the four of them hold their heads in pain.

"Olivia, your words are as classy as your manners and respect for others." Charles sarcastically admitted. The psychic shrugged her shoulders. He turned to the boys again, seeing that they had lowered their hands and weapons and instead rubbed their sore heads. "Now, boys, what do you say?"

Sharing a look between each other, the four of them face the professor with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry, Professor/ Sorry, Professor/ Sorry, Professor/ Sorry, Professor"

They said in unison, making the professor and the rest of the faculty laugh as though they're waiting for a group of children getting scolded.

Caitlin laughed herself before turning to Olivia who ruffled her nieces' heads. "Liv, what is the deal here? What's this about my boyfriend invading Wakanda and your husband being a criminal in their eyes?"

Olivia, making sure her nieces were close enough to hear the story too, started. "Many years ago, I was on my way back with some explosives on a Quinjet. Our engines started malfunctioning and the explosives were ignited. I jumped out of the jet with the explosions and hurled them up into the sky where no one could get hurt. Problem was, they did explode in the air and the blowback from that knocked me out and hurled me away somewhere in Africa."

"Let me guess, you landed in the jungles and were rescued by the Wakandans?" Caitlin assumed.

But shaking her head, the psychic clarified as she continued her story. "Not quite. I was hurled through their defense barriers and smashed down in the middle of their capital city. I was still unconscious and I woke up in the royal palace. That's where I learned that the royal family nursed me back to health."

Blinking her eyes, Caitlin had a bad feeling in her stomach. "Don't tell me Seth misread the situation?"

"Big time." Olivia nodded. "I heard he got the last known coordinates and he just went off like a loaded gun, barreling his way into Wakanda. He thought I was captured or something and went berserk. Heard he practically knocked out the warriors from different tribes until he met the Dora Milaje, most of them ended up puncturing him with spears. But he didn't stop until he got T'Challa's attention. Ended up with the two of them, T'Challa getting help from his guards, fighting for hours without rest."

"How'd they stop then?" Ruby wondered.

"Just like I did today, I jumped in and stopped their fight from escalating further." Olivia revealed. "The number of times I had to stop my own brother from making himself the number one enemy in Wakanda… Damn, I'd wasted hours trying to get them not to fight."

Frankie raised an eyebrow, thinking about T'Challa's heritage. "Spontaneously getting into fights because of one guy… Does not sound very prince-like."

Olivia chuckled. "Tell me about it." Okoye heard their words, glaring at them.

"Wait a second, I can understand why that puts you in their good graces and puts Seth on their bad radar… What about Matt?" Caitlin asked the psychic.

"His situation's more laughable than mine… He dated the princess." Olivia laughed. Her family blinked at the words. "Well, they dated for a short while and then they broke up. Because of that, King T'Chaka and Queen Ramonda basically made Matt the most wanted in Wakanda. They keep thinking he broke their daughter's heart."

"Which wasn't the case." Matt reminded them with a scarlet blush coming over his cheeks. "Just the Royal Family being way too paranoid."

With her fingers, Evelyn counted as she surmised the information. "So we got our Aunt who was hurled into the country, an Uncle who's the most wanted in the country for dating a princess and our Dad who invaded the country and is someone who fights the prince… Who doesn't seem really prince-ly." Seth laughed when seeing the Prince grit his teeth at his child's words. Then the metahuman finished off, facing her mother. "Mom, maybe we should spend more time with your family."

Seth snapped his head in his daughter's direction…

Matt snapped his head in his niece's direction…

Olivia turned her niece's head to face her…

"Come again?/ Hey!/ What was that?"

The three mutants told the metahuman who flinched, suddenly enveloped by shadows and she instinctively shadowported.

Olivia looked at Caitlin, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you guys had worked out that weird habit of hers?"

"It's a… Work in progress." Caitlin sheepishly admitted, scratching her cheek. "Honey?" She got Seth's attention.

"Got her." Seth held out his arms and his daughter fell out of a smog of shadows and into his arms. He shared a look with his daughter. "Your habits are out of control, honey." He tells her as he lets her down.

Charles, with the help of Olivia, is levitated to the same level where Caitlin and the psychic stand. "Thank you, Olivia." She gave a thumbs up. The professor turned his gaze to the Earth-1 metahuman. "I believe their dynamic is quite confusing to you, isn't it, Caitlin?"

"It is…" She admitted, watching how the four guys are now conversing as old friends who haven't seen each other in a long time. "I know Seth's got a unique relationship with different people, but I feel like this one here is the most unique."

Facing the same direction as Caitlin, Charles told her. "Many people treat, understandably so, T'Challa differently than how Seth does. He's royalty in their eyes, someone outside of their own realm of existing. But Peter, Matt and Seth don't see him as that. They've fought together and against each other so many times, they see each other as rivals. They see T'Challa as a fellow comrade, someone who's at the same stage as them… They see each other as brothers." He smirks.

"A fellow protector recognizes another protector…" Caitlin was still shocked by how much new information she was learning about Seth in his world of origin. She knew his impact here would be bigger here than on Earth-1, but seeing it first-hand…

She knew it was so much bigger than she could ever imagine…

X

Nighttime had rolled over the city, also basking the school in darkness of the night.

Sitting outside on the stone railing of the backyard porch, Seth was alone and had his hand out. His grip tightened around the handle of his huge crystal sword. Under the moonlight, his crystal blade was shining brightly and releasing an array of bright colors.

While the colorful light hit his skin, Seth looked at his blade intensely. This very sword has been of great use of use to him and his teammates on their missions lately, both as a means of fighting and way of destroying breaches for enemies to use.

But despite that, there are still a mountain of mysteries left behind that he doesn't know how to answer yet. He didn't know how to answer them now…

"Don't worry about what you don't know now." Venom told him. "Today's mysteries will be answered in the future… Possibly."

"Not very convincing, Venom." The mutant said back. He lowered his sword and placed it on his lap as he sighed. Seth perked his head up when feeling a presence come up behind him. "Shouldn't the Prince get his beauty sleep?"

Prince T'Challa of Wakanda chuckled, walking up to the same railing and placed his hands on it. "Well, I couldn't sleep that well, knowing the hazardous protector's here."

Looking at him with a smile, Seth told him. "Oh, you got nothing to worry about. Like I'd stoop so low and attack you in your sleep." The two shared a laugh. "But it's been a while. How're your parents? Heard some rumors about your Dad not coming to some conferences and meetings."

"He's tired, nothing to worry about." T'Challa assured him. "He also does find the meetings quite tedious and boring."

"A king looking for an excuse to not go to meetings… Careful, he might push the title of King on your shoulders." Seth quipped.

"That will not be for a long time." T'Challa said. The Wakandan Prince looks at the sword in his lap. "That's an impressive sword. But it does not look like anything made by human hands."

"Not gonna argue with that." Seth said, glancing down at the sword. "I don't know why or how, but it's some sort of an elemental sword that augments elements. Through this I can project my elements in a way I can't anymore. I can even use two of my elements with it."

"Only two?" T'Challa questioned. "Why so limited?"

"What?" Seth said.

"He means…" A webline stuck to the stone railing, close to Seth and before being pulled and Peter yanked himself to it. Crouching on the stone surface, he faces the two. "It's not like you to just stick to two elements. You got a whole museum of elements inside of you and you're just sticking to two simple ones."

"He's got a point." Matt said, walking up to them and sat cross-legged on the railing. "Why have you only stuck to your black flames and your lightning?" He got a run-down of how he used his sword and elements in tandem last time he was on Earth-1 and one more when he spoke with Caitlin before.

Seth understood the questions his friends were throwing at him, and he could only respond. "I've wanted to expand the use of my blade and see if it's possible to combine it with my other elements, but… The training options on Earth-1 are limited, to say the least."

"Earth-1…." T'Challa chuckled. "Funny saying that."

"Well, from our perspective, our Earth is Earth-1." Peter clarified.

Matt smirked. "Seth… Where's Caitlin?"

"She said she wanted to look into the rest of my medical journals." Seth looked at the nanite mutant, realizing the reason behind his question. "You wanna use the Danger Room?"

"Don't tell me, you're not thinking the same, man." Matt said. "With the three of us with you in there, I'm sure we can get you working to the max."

Peter liked that idea. "And we can get you to use your other elements with that sword of yours."

"I'm not gonna lie…" Seth smirked, jumping off the railing and tightened his hold on his sword. "Yeah, I do like the sound of it. And if you're up for it…" He got nods of confirmation from Matt and Peter. "What about you, T'Challa? Think the missus will miss you if you're gone for a while?"

T'Challa cracked his neck. "The Danger Room is available, right?"

To be continued….

And that's a chapter, peeps!

It's shorter, for sure, but trying to keep the exciting stuff for the next half. Next half is much longer.

The Snow-Fury family have departed from Earth-1, only for a while, to have a family vacation on Earth-616 where they are staying at the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. They've met some interesting people there, consisting of Jean Grey, Ororo Monroe, Scott Summers, Hank McCoy and of course, Professor Charles Xavier himself.

They also reunited with Matt Stark and his wife, Olivia and also came to meet the Dora Milaje as they escort the Prince of Wakanda, T'Challa, the Black Panther himself. This character was introduced to the story as a way to honor the late great Chadwick Boseman for his phenomenal role as MCU's Black Panther.

The two Spider-Men returned to the pages, reuniting with the Snow-Fury family once again.

Caitlin learns about Seth's medical journals and reads them in detail. She also witnesses the school's technology when Seth introduced her and their daughters to the Danger Room. Granted, their children got the first-hand taste of it when they were thrown into the middle of it and pitted against a humongous Sentinel and triumphed.

Seth's got some parenting techniques…

And as that happened on Earth-616, Eliza has executed her plans for the Sinister Seven.

Once again, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my friends!

Stay tuned and until next time, peeps!