In a space filled with white mist, a quite abruptly upright building sprang up. It appeared to look like Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, yet there were differences. The exterior of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters primarily consists of dark red bricks, but this one appeared to be deep blue. Other than this, the majority of the structure was identical.
Looking into the windows of this color variant of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, the scene inside was startling.
The presence of Iceman, Rogue, and Storm was not surprising, as they were members of Xavier's School. However, the remainder, including Polaris, Blink, and Quicksilver, who were supposed to have closer ties with the Mutant Brotherhood, were also seated in the classroom.
Even more surprisingly, the person standing on the podium was not Jean Grey or Professor X, but Stark.
Stark was standing on the podium with Bruce Banner by his side. Stark stroked the corner of his brow and looked at the students below and sighed deeply.
At this moment, Professor X walked in. Iceman, seeing him stride into the classroom, widened his eyes, but then like a reflex, his expression quickly settled back to calm.
Professor X came to the side of the podium, scanned the students below, most of the graduates from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters sat quite upright. The remaining few who were from the Brotherhood were whispering to each other.
Professor X cleared his throat and said, "As I told you in your dreams before, welcome to School for mutants."
Polaris rolled his eyes, seeming about to say something, but before he could, Stark interjected, "Yes, school, I truly hope this place can shape you bunch of wastes into something smarter. Even if it's from negative to zero, I would be immensely grateful."
Physically, his words were quite straightforward and his tone was cutting. Normally, those mutants who mix up with Magneto are not of good temper. Still, this time, led by Polaris, the group simply snorted through their noses, crossed their arms, and said nothing.
As to why all of these things were happening and why they behaved this way, we'll have to start from three days ago.
After Captain America's speech at the UN Security Council, Nick was granted the maximum power during this special period. Consequently, the 'Glorious Plan' was officially launched.
Before the plan officially started, scientists, represented by Banner, Connors, and Stark, and supported by Reed, had mostly prepared, only awaiting field investigation.
But the issue arose during this field investigation.
Going to Mercury was not as simple as going to the moon where something could transport people there. Stark had a mecha that could function in the cosmos; he also prepared one for Banner who went with him.
This armor could resist both high and low temperatures, provide vital resources, ensuring the duo could freely move about Mercury.
However, these facilities were still far from sufficient. The cosmic environment is unpredictable and entering it for the first time accompanies great danger. So, to ensure the safety of these precious scientists, regardless of the circumstances, several mutants accompanied them to Mercury.
Polaris, Iceman, Quicksilver, and Blink are all extremely powerful mutants. Moreover, these four all have unique abilities, almost covering all the abilities to cope with any danger. So, it stands to reason, this combination of brains and brawn, there should be no significant issues landing on Mercury.
Originally they had predicted the same, and the first half of the Mercury landing mission went smoothly with the mage opening a portal and transporting them to Mercury's surface.
But the landing site was a certain distance away from the South Pole of Mercury. They had to trek there, and here, Blink's ability came in handy. Her ability was like a portable teleportation hub. It was more precise than the portal and didn't require casting time, making it excellent for quickly dodging dangers.
Stark's original plan was that the mage would open the portal at some distance from the South Pole. They could survey the Mercury terrain and collect ample data along the way, and then Blink would teleport them to the pole.
But when the data was collected, Stark asked Blink to teleport them. Blink then brought up a very soulful question: "...Where is the South Pole?"
Stark's eyes widened. He asked, "Pole, the South Pole, don't you know?"
"I, of course, know what the South Pole is. I've even been to the South Pole on Earth and the penguins there are quite cute. But this isn't Earth, how would I know where the South Pole is?"
Stark was at a loss for words. To him, this was a very simple question. One only needed to know about Mercury's orbit and axial tilt.
He wanted to explain to Blink, but he had to explain planetary orbits and axial tiltwhich means explaining revolution and rotation. To explain revolution and rotation, he had to start with gravitational fields. To talk about gravitational fields, he had no choice but to mention the four fundamental forces...
In an instant, these bits of knowledge flashed through Stark's mind. He glance at the nearby sun, felt the heat transmitted through his armor, and looking helplessly at Polaris, he said, "Your ability is to control magnetism, right? Mercury has a global magnetic field, if you follow the magnetic lines, you can find the South and North poles. Find the South Pole, then have her teleport us there."