As a seasoned connoisseur of spirits, Wolverine's eyes immediately locked onto the unique collection of bottles. He picked one up, its glass dark and aged, and held it out to Amon. "Alright, kid. What's the story with this one?"
Hearing Wolverine's question, Amon adjusted his monocle, a faint smile on his lips. "That is a Moët & Chandon champagne, a treasure from Napoleon's personal cellar. It's older than you are, Logan."
The lavish arrangements had all been prepared by Amon's clones. The monocle was more a habit than a necessity; he could communicate with his network of clones and access information with or without it. Most of the wine had been "acquired" from various cellars around the world, but some, like the bottle in Wolverine's hand, were direct historical projections, plucked from Napoleon's own dining table by a clone traveling through a moment in time.
"Older than me, huh? I don't even know how long I've lived," Wolverine grumbled. With a flick of his wrist, six adamantium claws extended. He cleanly sliced the top off the bottle and took a long, appreciative swallow. "Ahhh... you know what? It's damn good."
As Wolverine began to investigate the rest of the wine cabinet, the water in the infinity pool rippled violently. A suit of red and gold armor crashed down from the sky, landing in a perfect three-point stance. The armor peeled away from Tony Stark, then re-formed into a tall, slender man who stood attentively at his side—Jarvis in his new humanoid form. Tony, a man who believed in being prepared, had brought his most reliable backup for the meeting.
Though he was late, Tony strode forward with unshakeable confidence. "Excellent. You're all on time. Glad you didn't keep me waiting." He surveyed the opulent rooftop, nodding with satisfaction. "The building is well-designed. I love it here."
In truth, Tony had arrived much earlier. He had raced over the moment Jarvis informed him that a skyscraper taller than his own had materialized overnight in New York. He spent a considerable amount of time circling the structure, utterly baffled as to how such a massive building could have been erected without anyone noticing.
Tony turned to Amon. "Did you hire some kind of impossible construction crew? The kind that works at light speed? I might need their number for the Manhattan restoration project."
"You could try," Amon replied enigmatically.
Tony was about to press the point when he caught sight of Wolverine raiding the bar. "Oh, Wolverine, what are you doing? Don't hog all the vintage stock! You're acting like you've never had a good drink before."
"Tch," Wolverine scoffed. He downed the contents of the bottle in one go and tossed the empty vessel to Tony. "Here. Since you like it so much."
Tony caught the bottle on instinct, and then he froze. There was something familiar about it. This particular vintage should have been long out of production. He had taken the last known bottle with him to Afghanistan, but it had been lost during the terrorist attack. Shaking off the strange feeling, he placed the bottle on a nearby table and turned his attention to the X-Men. "Alright, who's in charge of you lot?"
Scott Summers stepped forward, extending a hand. "Cyclops. Scott Summers. Mr. Stark, I'm the leader of the X-Men."
Tony ignored the outstretched hand. "I never shake hands with anyone."
Scott's face tightened. He awkwardly retracted his hand and used it to adjust his ruby-quartz sunglasses. "Just as charming as the wolf," he muttered, lumping Tony and Wolverine into the same irritating category in his mind.
Tony's gaze moved to Colossus and Jean. Seeing Tony looking at him, Piotr said, "Colossus. Piotr Rasputin."
"Rasputin," Tony repeated, the name clicking. That irksome girl and the mysterious young man had the same surname. "What's your relation to those two?" he asked curiously.
Piotr paused for a moment before understanding dawned. "You mean Amon and Ilyana. I'm their brother."
"I see," Tony nodded, turning his attention to the last person. "And you, beautiful lady? What's your name? You look familiar. Perhaps we could have a drink later and discuss it."
Scott answered for her, stepping slightly in front of Jean. "She's Jean Grey, my girlfriend. Besides being an X-Man, she's a doctor of genetics and psychology. You've probably seen her at an academic symposium." He was fiercely protective, his sensitivity heightened by Wolverine's presence and Tony Stark's notorious reputation as a playboy.
"Ha, a little protective, are we?" Tony teased.
Jean shot Scott a look. He'd been like this ever since Logan arrived at the academy. Being a powerful telepath, she could feel his insecurity and jealousy rolling off him in waves. She placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Scott. Are you that worried about me?"
She then turned to Tony, her smile polite but firm. "My code name is Phoenix, but you can call me Jean. I gave a lecture on mutant genetics recently that got some press. Perhaps you saw a report on that."
"Maybe. I didn't really pay attention to mutant affairs before," Tony replied indifferently.
Wolverine felt pointedly ignored, but he had no interest in introducing himself to a man anyway. Scott, however, was more than happy to do it for him. "That drunk is Logan. Calls himself Wolverine. Don't mind him; he's just freeloading."
Logan didn't even react, too absorbed in his exploration of the wine collection.
A shimmer of light appeared by the pool, and a massive red and blue robot materialized. Compared to Optimus Prime's immense scale, the open-air pool looked like a large puddle. "I am Optimus Prime. I am here representing the Autobots, at Tony's invitation."
Klein emerged from behind Optimus, offering a polite greeting. "Hello, everyone. I'm Klein, the president of this company, though I'm really just an administrator. Amon is the true proprietor. Optimus Prime is a bit too large for the elevator, so he contacted me, and I teleported him up."
"Amon, his ability is similar to yours!" Piotr exclaimed from his seat next to Amon.
"I feel it as well," Amon nodded in agreement. Klein was of average height, his features pleasant but not striking, with a scholarly air about him. He was dressed in a formal suit and top hat, giving him a very approachable demeanor.
After the introductions were complete, Amon clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Now that almost everyone is here, allow me to explain the unique features of our company. I will skip the parts that resemble any ordinary corporation.
"First, our staff has already been recruited. Should you wish to hire new people, simply inform the current employees they are being let go. They will comply without issue.
"Second, the company has an Admissions Department. It is responsible for recruiting and training individuals with superpowers. This will be a critical function.
"Finally, we have a department dedicated to chronicling the experiences of you heroes. This will also serve as a form of protection for our members. I would advise against replacing the employees in that department. They are very difficult to find."
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