Issue #4

With Xavier's impromptu trial over, many of the students went about their ways while trying to digest what just happened. But for the staff and the X-Men, there were other things they had to deal with.

The staff of the institute went to Xavier's former office to discuss the most important matter: Who would be the next headmaster.

The room was quiet and the tension was palpable in the room as no one spoke. Many had their eyes on Jack, Scott, and Ororo.

The former because he was the one that had exposed Xavier and was the rising star of the mutant community while Scott and Ororo were the veterans that were always thought to take over in case anything ever happened to the X-Men.

"So..." Kitty finally couldn't take it anymore and broke the ice

"Jack. Are you trying to be the headmaster or leader of the X-Men?" Ororo asked him outright. She already had a good idea of the answer but still needed to hear him say it out loud so the others would calm down.

"Not at all. I have about 7 or 8 other jobs and projects that I'm currently working on or a part of so I can't afford to lose any more of my time," Jack told her honestly.

What he didn't say was that the position as leader of both basically put a target on the school's back since he still had to deal with the secret enemy that was after him. He wouldn't risk others' lives just so he could play leader.

"Hmm. My fiance is busy helping me with company matters," Emma said to back up Jack's words "So I say we put Scott and Ororo in charge of the school as Co-Headmasters. As for the leader of the X-Men, we have enough people that splitting it into two teams where each one is the leader of one of the teams makes sense."

Emma chose the path of least bloodshed. Scott was prideful and would want to be the leader but Ororo was the better leader. So it was better to let them share the role of headmaster and split up the teams so there would be no fighting over the chain of command in the field.

This was how many of the staff felt. Scott was a good leader but he had a stick up his ass most days.

"Any objections?" Jean asked

None of the other X-Men raised their hands which meant that the decision had been made. Ororo and Scott would officially be taking over the duties as the headmasters.

"Jack. Stay behind for a minute," Ororo said

Several of the other staff heard this and gave Jack a look of pity before they walked out of the room. Soon, there were only the 3 leaders of the main factions within the school.

"Where did you find those 4 and where is the island?" Scott asked as soon as they were alone

"Classified and classified."

"What are your powers exactly?"

"Classified."

"What are your grand plans?"

"Classified."

"Ugh! As the leader of the X-Men, I order you to answer the questions!"

"I am answering. Just not giving you the answers that you want, Monoclops."

Ororo watched their interaction with interest. She was not even able to keep the timer on her phone going for 10 seconds before Scott pulled out the leader card.

Storm watched the pair for another 5 minutes and only stepped in when it seemed like Scott was going to take off glasses and destroy her brand new office.

"That's enough, Scott. Jack saved people and has been a useful member of the staff. There is no need to interrogate him."

Scott scowled at Jack once again before giving up on trying to uncover his secrets. He had not been the leader of the X-Men for so many years for no reason. Jack was strong, responsible, and loyal. Everything he wanted in a soldier. But he was also reckless and a mystery.

The other man would go off on his own for unknown amounts of time. And while most others couldn't tell, those with enhanced senses like Beast and Wolverine could smell it. The scent of blood.

As much as he tried to wash it off, there were always small traces of it. Whether it was his own or others, no one could tell. But it did let Scott know that blood was being shed.

"Jack. Please try not to do anything too wild for a while. We need to consolidate our strength and members, and you are an important part of that," Ororo said to Jack. "While most of the older members and staff are closer to us, the younger ones have more faith in you.

You have somehow perfectly blended a militaristic and peaceful approach to training them. That's why you will be important to this place, even if you are not an official leader. Understood?"

Jack smiled toward Ororo and nodded. This is why he preferred having women as friends over men. They usually saw the bigger picture.

"Of course, Ororo. I will make sure that I'm careful. I know how to keep a low profile."

---

"So, Loki. Welcome to the Cabal," Jack welcomed Loki to their group

Jack had invited the other 3 members into Eden where he and Emma had stayed for the night due to needing a break after a stressful week.

The 5 sat around the table while checking the other members out. Emma and Morgan were focused on Loki though. They were visibly confused.

"Darling. Tell me if I'm wrong but Loki is a man, is he not?" Emma asked Jack

"Huh? Oh yeah. She got cursed by someone else so she is a woman now," Jack explained after coming out of his stupor

His focus was not on Loki's new looks but instead on Emma. As he looked around the table, he noticed that everyone had magical power except for her.

'Magic seems to be an important factor. But how can I get her magical power?'

He had already tested the woman and found that she had zero magical talent. Magical artifacts were also less useful since they could be stolen or disabled more easily than raw magic powers.

'I'll think of a solution later. For now, let's deal with Loki.'

---

Author's Note: Images of some of my favorite ladies of Marvel that I found made by an amazing artist.