NEW YORK, SCHOOL FOR MUTANTS.
Some of the X-Men members were at the school to give a speech to the incoming students while also investigating whether there were any individuals with ill intentions among the new enrollees. Such individuals would find it difficult to gain access to Krakoa and would be kept under surveillance to prevent potential disasters.
The mutants had experienced too many betrayals from their own kind to remain naive and grant access to Krakoa to just anyone who asked.
Among the X-Men sent to deliver the speech were Jean, Emma, Rogue, Angel, and surprisingly, Logan.
Emma and Jean were sent by Xavier to reflect and calm down after they nearly killed Cyclops following what Spider-Man said the day he called them for help.
Rogue, Logan, and Angel were sent to keep them in check and prevent a fight from breaking out.
On their way to give the speech, they were interrupted by an emergency call from the Avengers.
"We need help—we're facing a threat that could endanger the entire universe," Steve Rogers' nervous voice alerted the present X-Men, as they knew it was extremely rare to shake the Captain's trademark composure, even if the threat could destroy the world.
"Where are you, Captain? And what threat are we facing?" Rogue spoke as they headed toward the Blackbird.
"The threat we're up against is one of Spider-Man's enemies, named Solus. Apparently, he's traveling the multiverse killing spiders and, in the process, destroying their worlds," Steve's voice came through again, but this time, those who had already boarded the Blackbird didn't move.
"Captain, you know Spider-Man is an anti-mutant supremacist," Jean said over the comms.
"You've got it all wrong. The person who was with us this past year wasn't Spider-Man—that villain just confirmed it," hearing Jean's tone, the Captain knew what they were thinking, so he was as direct as possible.
"But how is that possible? We interfered with his mind," Emma countered.
"Emma, I also think that guy wasn't Bub," Logan spoke with a hopeful tone. He truly hoped the person who had insulted him wasn't the real Spider-Man—the one he considered a brother in all but blood.
"Guys, get here as fast as you can. We need help saving Spider-Man from this overdeveloped predator—and Strange, how the hell haven't you broken that damn barrier yet?!" Tony's voice replaced the Captain's as he demanded their aid, followed suddenly by an explosion on Tony's end and his shouts, seemingly directed at Doctor Strange.
"Stop arguing. The Avengers need our help," Rogue said as she fired up the Blackbird and took off at maximum speed.
"Tony, please calm down. We need to stay composed and give it our all if we want to save Spider-Man. Guys, we're in an abandoned warehouse near the Brooklyn Bridge—please hurry. Spider-Man is... what the hell?! Quick, try to break the damn barrier—he won't last much longer!" Over the comms, the Captain's calm voice urged everyone to unite, but then it suddenly shifted from composed to extremely tense as he insisted they break through a barrier.
Hearing the Captain's sudden shout, those aboard the Blackbird knew they had to rush to the designated location.
NEW YORK CITY
New York City is in unprecedented chaos today after the signals of all devices in the city were suddenly hijacked by a conversation between Spider-Man and what appears to be one of his villains.
Many people argued and debated Spider-Man's and the villain's words, with discussions flaring up over differing opinions on the exchange between Spider-Man and Solus: "Spider-Man would never make a deal with someone like that," "He's robbed a bank before—why wouldn't he make a deal with a villain?" "You're all biased—we don't even know what they're talking about!"
...
"I can't let you die, Spider—not by anyone else's hands but mine. Hahaha!" A manic laugh echoed in a pitch-black room atop a penthouse as a glider departed the scene.
...
"Seems our arachnid pest is about to disappear. Haha, what great news." On a building's rooftop stood a towering man with an imposing physique, his back turned to a group brutally beating a man in the corner.
Hearing the man's screams, the imposing figure dressed in white merely smiled as he approached a small table and sat down to drink wine.
...
"Damn stupid Rhino! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you—how could I, an idiot like you, be allowed to use my devices?!" In a remote location, a man frantically worked at a computer, desperately trying to destabilize the device he had given Rhino.
He couldn't believe how stupid Rhino must have been to publicly release an audio recording of a villain admitting that the person they'd been with all year wasn't Spider-Man. The last thing he wanted was to give Spider-Man's reputation a chance to recover—and now, he was wasting time trying to neutralize the signal interference caused by the device he lent Rhino.
But he found he couldn't even restore the signal in his own area—which made him both proud and furious.
Finally, he decided to let things play out. Though he didn't want Spider-Man's reputation restored, he refused to waste more time on this when he had a much bigger project in the works.
ABANDONED WAREHOUSE
"Damn it, I can't believe I'm trapped in the same place where I set up my own trap!" In a secluded corner far from Spider-Man and Solus' confrontation, a trembling Rhino stood with a pale face and palpable fear.
When he installed the cameras, Rhino had sneaked into the warehouse and hidden in a remote spot to ensure everything went according to plan. But the moment he saw Solus, he felt the greatest threat to his life he had ever experienced—so overwhelming that he couldn't move a muscle, terrified of being discovered.
When Spider-Man arrived and Solus was momentarily distracted, he tried to escape—only to find he couldn't leave the warehouse, even after smashing the barrier holding him back with all his strength.
And so, we arrive at the current situation: Rhino, hiding in a corner of the warehouse, desperately trying to make himself invisible to avoid Solus' gaze.