After getting permission, Jack took to the sky. He wanted to confirm that the 4 people he had in mind were all willing from the get-go. That way, he could adjust quickly and invite the other potential members if he couldn't get the originals.
'Ok. Let's head to the institute first. We can head for Genosha later or even tomorrow. Magneto will not be willing to let go of those two so easily.'
Jack was able to quickly fly from the tower to Xavier's Institue. When he arrived, one could feel the liveliness in the air.
Jack descended at the front gates before walking the length of the path to get to the mansion. He wanted to take in the sights and think about how he would convince the two there as he walked forward. The school was so different than the first time Jack had visited with the Hellions.
Before, the only students were the 8 that they had faced off against. Now, not only had most of the original members of the X-Men returned but there were over 300 hundred students that had enrolled.
These students were not just mutants that Jack or the X-Men had rescued but were also caused by the recent boom in the mutant population. If one were to ask Jack about the mutant population the summer before when he first awakened his X-Gene, he would assume that there were around 10,000 mutants around the world.
If he was asked that day, his guess would be near 1,000,000 mutants. With the number of mutants in Genosha and taking in the number that had joined the school, Jack felt pretty confident in his guess.
While Jack was in his own head as he walked down the path, several students looked at him from afar as they whispered about him.
"Oh my gosh! It's Jack Frost!"
"Really? He's here?"
"Of course! Why would I lie about that?"
"Let's go tell the others!"
Soon, many students were looking at Jack from afar. They would point and whisper at him but none would get too close. But one thing was certain, all of them admired him.
Professor Xavier, Emma Frost, and Magneto were all comparable to high government positions like presidents to mutants. Then teams like the X-Men and Brotherhood were the personal heroes that they truly got to know which made them all seem much less heroic. Jack was different though.
Jack had the popularity of Spider-Man to mutants. He was a mutant that was never really around them but whenever he was, they would feel safe. He was also the only mutant on the Avengers which made younger mutants admire him more.
"Jack!" he heard his name being called and turned around
Jack saw a young girl running towards him him. Jack smiled when the girl jumped into the air and him. Jack caught her and spun the girl around a few times before setting her down on the ground.
"Been awhile, Leah. Sorry about that," Jack apologized to the girl
Leah was the same Leah that Jack had brought to the hospital all those months ago. Jack had brought her to Emma who brought the girl here when Emma left her own school behind.
The girl was left out on the streets for several months due to her illness and being a mutant. So since she had no one to turn to, Jack insisted that they take care of her. Unable to refuse a request from Jack and also feeling sorry for the girl, Emma readily accepted her.
Jack looked over the girl's body and smiled. She looked like she was starting to put on some more weight and was no longer skin and bones.
"Looks like the cooks here know how to make the little princess eat," Jack joked with her before taking her hand and continuing toward the mansion
As they walked, Leah would do most of the talking while Jack mainly reacted or nodded. Jack would occasionally visit the Leah, Emma, and the other kids he brought here but he had been very busy recently dealing with several matters. He could only silently promise to himself to do better.
Jack and Leah were together until they reached the main doors. Classes were about to continue so Leah had to leave him alone. The girl had a reluctant look on her face as she said goodbye.
Jack knew knew his way through the mansion so he continued on his own. He walked through several hallways and down a set of stairs until he reached the metallic basement. There, Jack was able to quickly locate Emma, the Professor, and the current team of X-Men. They were all watching a group of mutants in the Danger Room.
"Tch! Cheap weed and apple sauce? Just trying to piss me off today, bub?" Wolverine asked as soon as Jack entered the room
Beast also made a face and looked at Jack in irritation but could not say anything. Wolverine had wronged Jack first and compacted to this small form of payback Jack was dishing out to him, he had no place to intervene.
"No matter what smell I give off, I will always smell better than those cheap-ass cigars you smoke."
Wolverine unsheathed his claws and gave Jack a side-eye while the latter ignored him before he walked over and stood next to Emma.
"Anything exciting going on down there?" Jack asked. All the ones in the danger room were unfamiliar to him except for Storm. It seemed that she was the one ensuring they were safe.
Emma shook her head when she heard his question.
"Nope. Just some cocky students that need to be knocked down a peg. Why are you here?"
Emma already knew why Jack was here since he called her about it a few days ago but she still pretended in front of the X-Men.
Jack went along with it since he wanted to make his connection not seem as close with Emma. Defectors and spies could be lurking everywhere.
"Remember what I told you about a few months ago?"
Emma nodded and feigned surprise when she heard this
"You mean...?"
"Yep. Just got the word a little while ago. I will no longer be the only mutant in the Avengers anymore. (No one knows Namor is a mutant) I'm here to recruit some new members."
When Jack announced this, all the X-Men in the room turned their heads toward him. He had just dropped a major bombshell on the,.