Issue #2

Jack was greeted by the sight of 8 strangers in the den along with Mariana that was winking at him. He ignored the woman he considered to be his older sister and started to study the others in the room as he walked over to his seat.

Magneto was the one he recognized most easily as well as Mystique that was right behind. Both of them had made names for themselves for years. He would have had to of been looking under a rock not to recognize them.

Wanda was a different story. Although Jack knew she was part of the Brotherhood, he did not know how important the girl was. She was not one of the heads of the group that appeared frequently fighting the X-Men or humans.

'But since she is here, she definitely has to be important. Or maybe she is here for the honeypot. She does seem to be only a year or two older than me.'

Jack also thought the same about Daniel and Xi'an who were sitting next to Xavier. Neither of them was part of the main team of X-Men and he had never seen them before so Jack automatically assumed that they were there to seduce him and have him join the X-Men.

As Jack sat beside Mariana, he finally turned his attention to Emma and Lilith. They were the group that attracted his attention the most. Even though Emma appeared to be older like Xavier and Magneto, she gave off the feeling of youth.

'It hard to describe it. She just makes me want to pay attention to her.'

"Hello, everyone. I am Jack Smith, I am an orphan, and I am a mutant," Jack gave a short introduction of himself to the group

Xavier extended his hand first which Jack reached out and grabbed

{Hello, Jack. I am Professor Charles Xavier. It's a pleasure to meet you. I believe that with your gifts and my teachings, you can master your abilities in a safe enviroment} Xavier said in a telepathic message that only the pair could hear

Jack was surprised and let it show on his face. He knew Xavier was a mutant advocate and there were rumors that he was a mutant himself but it was never confirmed. But hearing the professor's voice in his mind confirmed the rumors.

{Um, nice to meet you, too. You can hear me, right? Not just a one-way thing?} Jack asked

{Haha, indeed child. I can hear your thoughts as well send mine out among other things.}

{Huh. Neat} Jack said before turning to Magneto and shaking hands with him

"Jack. I'm sure you know who I am and my purpose for coming here. One thing I am curious about is just what your mutation is," Magneto said without beating around the bush

Hearing this, a cheeky smile appeared on Jack's face. He didn't dislike this type of personality. He preferred to skip over most formalities and get straight to the point.

"Sorry... Mr. Magneto? But my mutation is a bit special. I don't plan on telling just anyone what I am capable of. I need to keep a few trump cards if you know what I mean."

Magneto grimaced while Xavier had a serious look come over his face. He was also curious about what mutant ability Jack had gained.

'Cerebro would not have reacted as it did over just any power. But it was not like how it reacted when I found Jean or Ororo either. This boy is truly a mystery.'

"Hahaha!"

Hearing the answer that Jack gave Magneto caused Emma to laugh at the reply. Her interest in Jack had intensified. Lilith had also detected Jack for her and gotten a similar reading as Cerebro and Magneto. This made her more interested in Jack than any other mutant that Lilith had detected.

Jack turned his attention to the final person that was interested in him and the one he was the most interested in. Emma turned her face toward Jack and gave him the same short explanation that she gave Mariana.

After hearing her offer, Jack was the most interested in what she was offering. Both of the others just wanted him to join their teams but neither were truly suitable for him. His power needed time to reach its full potential.

With Xavier, he would never be allowed to truly use his power. The requirements were too harsh for someone like Xavier to accept. As for Magneto, he was the opposite. Magneto would want to get Jack's power to their fullest potential fast which would attract way too much attention to him. He might as well take on the codename 'Icarus' if he joined Magneto.

Thus, without keeping anyone in suspense, Jack chose to join the Massachusetts Academy. Hearing this answer, both Magneto and Xavier were disappointed but did not say anything to Jack about it. Instead, they shifted the blame onto Emma.

"Do you not feel disgusted with yourself for seducing a young boy like that?"

"Hm. Emma. We should compete fairly based on our merits."

Jack and Mariana were confused and about to interrupt when they saw Emma change in front of their very eyes. Emma went from an older woman wearing a professional, white suit to a young woman in her 20s wearing a corset, cape, and tight shorts. The pair could not help but stare at her.

Seeing their reactions, Emma laughed at them before addressing Xavier and Magneto.

"See that? I actually used my powers to make them think I was around your age and was all dressed up. I made sure to play fair and square," Emma said with a gloating tone and twinkle in her eyes

Emma knew it was better to have people truly loyal to her cause instead of those that were loyal to nothing more than her body. This was why when she personally recruited mutants, she would disguise herself and try to recruit them in different forms.

Hearing Emma explain what she had done, not only Xavier and Magneto but Jack as well was impressed. His interest in seeing her plans and goals made a certain flash go through his eyes that no one else detected.