[Third Person Pov]
As Hank finished shutting down the warning system, the last echoes of alarms fading into silence, Lizzy was still very much riding the adrenaline-fueled high of the announcement that had just been dropped on her. Her grin was borderline unstoppable. She straightened up, chest puffed out slightly, and pointed her thumb at herself with shameless pride.
"You hear that?" she said smugly, eyes sparkling as she looked around at her team. "I'm an Omega."
Felicia let out an amused snort as she leaned comfortably against MJ, shaking her head. "Oh, she's going to be riding this high for a loooong while," she said, dragging out the word. The rest of the Spider-Family—who all knew Lizzy far too well—nodded in collective agreement.
"Wait—hold on." Lizzy suddenly paused mid-victory lap, her expression shifting into something more thoughtful. She turned back toward Charles, Hank, and the rest of the X-Men. "How rare are Omega-level mutants exactly?"
Hank rubbed his chin thoughtfully, adjusting his glasses as he considered how best to put it into perspective. "Let's say that, as it currently stands, the mutant population worldwide numbers well into the millions," he began calmly. "However, among those millions, the number of Omega-level mutants can quite literally be counted on one hand. Statistically speaking, the probability of someone being born with an Omega-level X-gene is roughly one in a million."
Lizzy blinked once—then immediately turned back toward everyone else, pointing dramatically at herself again. "You hear that, everyone? Me. I'm one in a million."
"Why did you have to go and say that?" Peter groaned with a mock sigh, shoulders slumping theatrically. "Now she's going to get a big head that we're all going to have to deal with."
Lizzy shot him a look and held up a hand to silence him. "Shhh. It's alright," she said magnanimously. "I'll allow you to be jealous. I understand what it must be like for you to be a normie." She gave him a pitying smile. "It just couldn't be me."
Peter's lips twitched beneath his mask before he turned toward Harry, voice flat and completely serious. "Control your girl."
Harry, meanwhile, was just smiling at Lizzy with an openly enamored grin. "I say we let her indulge in the moment," he replied easily. "Just for a bit."
Kurt tilted his head, yellow eyes studying Lizzy with genuine curiosity. "Und vhat exactly is your power?" he asked. "Iz it just fire?"
"Nope." Lizzy shook her head and lifted her hand, fire and heat subtly warping and shimmering around her clenched fist. "Fire and heat are just the simplest applications of what I can do. At the lower, more standard end of my abilities, I can generate intense levels of microwave radiation."
She flexed her fingers slightly, the air around her distorting. "And at the highest level? I'm capable of producing and releasing lethal amounts of gamma radiation."
"Talk about being deadly…" Kitty muttered, instinctively taking a cautious step back, clearly not eager to tempt fate—or sudden radiation poisoning.
"To manipulate radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum to such an extent…" Hank murmured, awe creeping into his voice. "That is nothing short of phenomenal." He looked at Lizzy with a mixture of fascination and concern. "The true nature of your ability—your potential—is mastery over one of the fundamental forces of the universe."
The room grew noticeably quieter as Hank continued. "At its absolute apex, your power borders on Weak Force manipulation. In theory, you could weaken the bonds that hold atoms together themselves." He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "If pushed far enough, that kind of power could tear reality apart—reducing everything to its most basic components."
The rest of the X-Men stared between Hank and Lizzy in stunned disbelief. They all knew that Omega-level mutants had no true upper limits, but hearing the full implications laid out so plainly was still deeply unsettling.
"Or so I've been told," Lizzy said casually, flashing a peace sign and puckering her lips as if none of it was remotely concerning.
Peter secretly raised a brow beneath his mask, half-expecting Lizzy to casually mention the final and far more terrifying truth—that she also possessed the ability to manipulate the Strong Force. It would have fit her current victory lap a little too well. However, contrary to his expectations, she didn't say a word about it.
'Good,' Peter thought to himself, a faint sense of relief settling in. 'It seems she didn't let it go to her head completely. She's still being cautious—still smart enough not to reveal all of her strength.' He silently praised her restraint. Power like that wasn't just dangerous to enemies; it was dangerous knowledge to let slip.
Scott stepped forward shortly after, clapping his hands once to pull everyone's attention back on track. "Alright," he said firmly, shifting the atmosphere of the room. "Now that we know we have an additional Omega-level mutant on our side, I think it's time we start strategizing. We need an attack plan for our upcoming confrontation with the Sentinels."
Peter nodded in agreement, as did the rest of the Spider-Family. The playful energy from earlier quickly gave way to something more serious.
"Do we know where the Sentinels are being manufactured?" Harry asked, his tone sharp and focused.
"And where Darwin is being held," MJ added immediately, folding her arms.
"Not to mention the rest of the mutants the Sentinels have already captured," Gwen chimed in, her gaze shifting toward Charles expectantly.
"We do," Charles replied with a firm nod. "We have allies—friends within the government—who strongly oppose the Sentinel Program and consider it both unethical and inhumane. Thanks to them, we've learned that deep within the mountains of Colorado, there's a hidden facility, far from the public eye. That location serves as both a production site for the Sentinels and a containment center for captured mutants."
As Charles spoke, Aria quietly closed her eyes, her expression going distant. She linked herself directly to the satellite network, her consciousness racing through data streams at impossible speeds. She isolated Colorado, scanning the mountainous regions for anything concealed, buried, or intentionally erased from public records.
It didn't take long.
Hidden among dense forests and carved directly into the mountain walls, she found it—its defenses masked, its energy signature deliberately obscured. Through the All-Seeing Eye, the truth became clear.
"Found it," Aria announced, opening her eyes and immediately drawing everyone's attention. "The coordinates are…"
After she was done sharing the coordinates with everyone, they were all staring at her as if she'd suddenly grown a second head.
"How…" Storm began, clearly at a loss for words.
"We have a satellite," Aria replied simply, flashing a proud grin and offering no further explanation. With a subtle gesture, her cybernetics activated, projecting a detailed holographic map of the terrain into the air. The mountain facility, its entrances, surrounding patrol routes, and defensive structures were all clearly visible. "We can use this to plan our approach and determine the most optimal route in and out."
The X-Men exchanged glances before nodding in understanding. With that, the strategy meeting officially began. Files detailing Sentinel models, combat data, and Darwin's adaptive abilities were distributed to the Spider-Family for review.
About halfway through the discussion, Logan finally joined them, having secured Juggernaut in a safe location. Jean and Professor Xavier quickly filled him in on what he'd missed using their psychic abilities, saving time.
Peter, meanwhile, hung upside down from a thin spider-thread near the ceiling, flipping through the files as he processed the information at lightning speed. Once he finished, he looked up and spoke, his tone focused and decisive.
"I say we split into two teams," he began. "A rescue team and an assault team. We divide responsibilities to maximize efficiency. The rescue team's main objective will be freeing the captured mutants—Darwin included—and safely extracting them back to the mansion."
"That part should be simple enough," MJ added casually. "Teleportation magic makes extraction easy."
Peter nodded but didn't stop. "The assault team, on the other hand, will be responsible for shutting down the Sentinel production line and stopping Larry Trask. And despite how easy I'm making it sound, this is going to be the hardest part of the plan." His voice grew more serious. "Darwin's ability alone makes fighting the Sentinels nearly impossible under normal circumstances."
He then turned his head toward Felicia, fixing her with a knowing look.
"That's why," Peter said evenly, "you're going to be the key to our victory."
Felicia blinked once before letting out a dry laugh. "Oh, sure. No pressure at all," she said sarcastically. "Everyone's lives are on the line, the fate of captured mutants hangs in the balance, and it all rests on me. Totally fine." She smirked, hands on her hips. "Don't worry—I got this. Leave it all to me~"
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