Meanwhile back at the Xavier Mansion...

Wheeling himself down the halls of his school, Professor Charles Xavier smiled as he watched his students scramble to their classes when the bell rang. The hallways filled with dozens if not hundreds of students making their way to their destinations. Some running to math class being taught by Hank McCoy, others to history being taught by Scott Summers, there was a REAL interest in the sex education class… Though that was more likely because Emma Frost was the teacher. The room was so packed that students huddled around the walls and doors to study with the White Queen. He considered rotating the teachers a bit to balance out the class faculty, after all no one was going to go to a sex-ed class being taught by Logan trying to teach the proper application of a condom over a banana.

“Hmm, perhaps Storm would like to teach history instead of gardening for once… Remy’s been getting some unusual attention from the female campus ever since he started teaching French.” Wheeling his way down the hall towards the main living room, Charles parked himself in front of the television where some of his teachers and X-Men were enjoying a break and watching sports. “Ah, my X-Men. Can I check the news? I wanted to be updated on a bill being passed at…”

His reply was a chorus of men and women shushing him while watching the television screen, their fists pumping at the sight of the soccer player running towards the goal. Betsy’s hands were waving frantically, as if her waving to her left would make the player run faster as he was chased by three of the opposing team. Peter unintentionally crushed his drink in his metallic hand, spilling orange soda over his pants and Kitty was practically bouncing in her seat. “Come on, COME ON!”

“I’ve got fifty BUCKS on this game!” Hissed Forge though clenched teeth, shaking his fists in anticipation as the player was just yards from the field goal.

Looking to his X-Men with a scrunched face of disappointment at being ignored, Xavier brought a hand to his temple and concentrated. Before everyone’s eyes the player stopped his run and began doing the chicken dance, leaving the opposing team to stop out of confusion before shrugging and stealing the ball from him.

“NO!!!!!!!!!!!” Cried out the X-Men at the couch and chairs, some falling to their knees in shock before Xavier wheeled himself closer and plucked the remote from Kurt’s open hands.

“Well, too bad for that, onto the news.” Changing the channel, Xavier ignored the dirty looks like X-Men gave him as he switched from one channel after the other until he got to a local news broadcast. “There we go.”

“Good afternoon and welcome to our daily news.” Chirped a friendly looking news anchor, smiling back from her desk with papers in her hand. “Today we will be covering an interview with Tony Stark regarding his new travel agency, followed by the results of congress passing a new bill to allow specialty schools who cater to the differently abled, health complications or mutants with tax exemption.”

Rubbing his hands together, Xavier grinned with excitement. “Ah good, I didn’t miss it. I’ve been putting the thought in our congressman’s head for MONTHS!”

“But first… A special news bulletin. Last night the VAULT; the most secure prison for super-powered criminals was destroyed with NO survivors. Clean up teams are currently inspecting the ruins of the super-max prison for signs of what caused the devastation, but so far there are currently no leads.”

“Uhm… Professor, isn’t that where Mystique was being held?” Asked Colossus, the results of the game no longer on his mind.

“Yes, it is Peter… Or WAS anyway.”

“You don’t think she survived, do you?”

Listening in on the continued news report, the anchor woman continued. “No one knows what caused the devastation, or how all 1500 inmates, guards and staff had all disappeared. however, there appears to be a path of destruction that leads into the forests nearby.” Showing pictures of the flattened and ruined prison and massive clawed footprints leading over the parking lot, fence and out towards the trees. “And now onto the interview with Tony Stark. Tony thank you for joining us today…”

“Hmm… No, I don’t think she survived at all, we should count ourselves quite lucky.”

Everyone in the room gave the professor a dirty look, one that did not go unnoticed by the man when he rolled his eyes and wheeled himself towards the window to look out onto the grounds of his school. “Sigh… Look, she wasn’t a threat then, she won’t be a threat now. After all, she is bigger than a house and still susceptible to my powers. If she returns, I can simply put her back to sleep again.”

“Can you do it BEFORE she decides to make me her love toy again?” Worried Colossus, hugging himself in his seat while Kitty patted him on the shoulder to sooth his PTSD.

“Here, does this help?” Xavier asked, turning on the lawn sprinklers and in the process scaring away a couple of squirrels to run back into the trees.

“No… What made you think that would make us feel safer?!”

Placing his fingers to his right brow, Xavier squinted at his X-Men. “How about now?”

“WOW! Sprinklers? You thought of EVERYTHING professor!” Gasped Nightcrawler, genuinely surprised by the spraying water, dousing the lawn outside.

“Even I’M scared to go out there now! I feel so relieved.” Sighed Peter, getting a hug from Kitty from behind who looked equally satisfied with the demonstration.

Wiping his hands, Xavier smiled and wheeled himself out of the room. “AND my work here is done, let me know if things get serious, like an end of the world scenario or something.”

“Will do Professor!”